A/N: Your next chapter, ladies and gentlemen! Many thanks to robstarfan723, Breeluv, archsage328, SilyStar1, anon, EnchantedTopazCrystalline, and alice, for reviewing. You guys are amazing! Virtual panda cupcakes for everyone! :D
DISCLAIMER: I don't own either the Teen Titans nor Youtube. (Aww...)
"Yo, Dick!"
Richard turned around and grinned.
"Wally! Roy! Garth! 'Sup?"
Wally raced over and slapped him one on the back. "Heard you got principal's office."
Tara nodded solemnly, and Roy rolled his eyes. "Old Man Wilson's gotten cranky in that age of his. Can't even take a tiny fight in his halls."
Kori stood there awkwardly, before taking a step back and then to the left. "I-I shall be going now," she declared, ignoring the group's calls for her.
Kori walked briskly away from the crowd. "I suppose everyone knows each other in this school," she said to herself, feeling sad. "I am just an outsider, trying to break into their circle of friends."
She stopped short. How was she supposed to find the Principal's office? Hesitantly, she looked around for any signs indicating her whereabouts.
"Lost, Kori?"
Kori's heart very nearly stopped. "J-Jason," she breathed.
"In the flesh," Jason said, smirking.
"What do you want?" Kori asked, fighting the nervous tingle creeping up her back.
"You," Jason hissed, cornering Kori by the lockers.
If she wasn't so scared, Kori would have rolled her eyes. How cheesy. But when you're dealing with a guy that nearly everyone labeled 'scum', on the first day alone, you kind of know he's not trying to be cheesy.
"H-How would that happen?"
"Why, do you have your eyes on Grayson over there?" Jason taunted, his breath warm on Kori's cheeks. "Newsflash, cutie: he's got that Tara bitch."
Kori instantly shoved him, eyes full of rage. "Don't you dare call Tara a bitch!"
Jason was laughing on the floor, dusting himself off. "Feisty. I like that."
He stood back up and pinned Kori on the ground, producing a red x from his pocket. "Now, can I take that raincheck of yours?"
"Don't you dare call Tara a bitch!"
Richard blinked. "Kori?"
Tara furrowed her brows. "Who was calling me a bitch?"
"Kori!" Richard exclaimed, running full speed towards the corridors.
Tara creased her brows even further, scrunching her nose. "Kori wouldn't call me a bitch."
Wally rolled his eyes. "He means Kori was the one telling...whoever it was...not to call you a bitch."
"Oh, I get it."
Roy started walking towards the direction Richard dashed off to. "Can we just go help her out now?"
Tara blinked, and smiled sheepishly. "Oh, yeah, right."
Wally grinned. "I love playing the hero."
Kori cowered under his strong hold. "This will only take a minute, cutie," Jason hissed, pulling up her shirt. "And you'll find I'm much better than that Grayson jerk."
Kori growled, and a blast of powerful energy shot from her eyes. She stood up, floating as she looked down on Jason. Quite curious, she thought. How was I unable to do that before? "Do not ever dare mock Richard. He is better than you, any day," she snarled. If it wasn't beneath her, she would have considered spitting at him.
Heavy footsteps slapped on the tiles of the hallway, and Kori floated over to the corridor to inspect who it was. Richard ran into her, and they both fell onto the ground, Richard pinning Kori. "I heard your scream. Who was calling Tara a bitch?" he added with a lopsided grin.
Kori blushed and returned his gesture with a smile. "Just Jason."
Richard turned grim, but smiled again. "Jason."
"Well, look what we have here," Wally teased, stopping by the wall. Richard suddenly realized his, uh, compromising position, and rolled off of Kori carefully.
"Sorry," he whispered, helping her up. Kori shook her head.
"It is alright, Richard."
Roy sighed. "Where's a camera when you need one?"
"Right here," Tara called out, giggling as she turned her camera-phone so everyone could see it.
Richard just about fainted. "Betrayed, and by my own girlfriend!"
Tara laughed. "Just a bit of blackmail, babe."
"Well, I suppose you may bask in your moment of triumph."
The group immediately looked up and rearranged themselves into a line; Jason's groaning from the locker area being the only sound left.
Mr. Wilson's features seemed to be etched in a permanent scowl, wrinkles decorating his skin. The eye patch covering his left eye due to a most unfortunate accident, details undisclosed, did not make him look weak or pitiful. If anything, it made him look even more intimidating.
"Seeing as you can't get into deeper trouble than this."
Wisps of his white hair stopped just above his eyebrows, and he walked past each of the five, glaring them all down.
"Anders, Grayson, Markov - stay. West, Harper - excused," he said, speaking in his impossibly calm voice. It drove Richard on end, endlessly haunting him. He hated their principal with a passion.
"I suppose you know why I've called you to my office."
No one dared speak; and Mr. Wilson continued anyway, unfazed. It had been a rhetorical question.
He stopped at Kori, the echo of his footsteps gradually subsiding. "Miss Anders; I am fully aware you are a newcomer. Excused."
He moved past her and she nearly let herself heave a sigh of relief. Almost.
"Markov. My office seems to be your home away from home, isn't it?" He laughed, taunting her. "You started the fight, didn't you? You always do." Mr. Wilson clucked his tongue, shaking his head in mock disappointment. "Stay after school."
Mr. Wilson approached Richard. A manic ghost of a smile appeared on his face. "Ah, Grayson. So we meet again. Trying to be the knight in shining armor, are you?" He leaned in closer and whispered in Richard's ear. "Sorry, my boy, but you can't have your cake and eat it too."
Richard had a faint idea of what he was talking about, but he paid it no heed. What did he know, anyway?
Mr. Wilson narrowed his good eye. "Stay. After school."
He turned around, heading for the stairs. With a wave of his hand, he sent the three scurrying to their own classrooms.
"Dismissed."
In their hurry to get away from their slightly maniacal principal, none of them noticed Jason, still moaning, being collected by Baran and Selinda Flinders; Mr. Wilson's personal goons of some sorts.
"Jason. So good to see you again," Mr. Wilson greeted, voice laced with sarcasm.
"Wazzat?" Jason mumbled, still disoriented. "Didjagetthanumbahofthatru-"
The man swiftly reached out and touched a nerve on his neck. Jason's shoulders sagged, unconscious, and the Flinders siblings let go. "Rebels today are nothing like we were before..."
"So, what do you intend to do with that footage?" Dick asked coolly, hovering over Tara's small frame by the locker areas. "Post it on Youtube and get a million hits?"
"I was considering that," Tara said, laughing. She rubbed her book cover absently, tracing the words 'Dick and Tara 4-ever' that had been etched by her earlier in the year.
Dick leaned in even further, his hot breath tickling Tara. "Suppose I make a bargain."
"Mhm, what kind of bargain, Mr. Grayson?" Tara pried, smirking.
"You two can go make out later at detention; food comes first!" Wally called out, pulling over next to the couple with Jen being carried bridal-style, much to her obvious displeasure, Tara noted immediately.
"Wally West, you'd better put me down, or so help me-"
"Shh, babe, you know you're enjoying it," Wally said, winking. Absently, he added- "I've never met anyone who hasn't"-and the words were out before he realized it. Jen delivered a powerful right hook and pushed him away so she could jump off.
"You-you man whore!" she exclaimed, seething with unadulterated rage. The sorceress flung a barrage of hexes, Wally cowering, too disoriented to power up and run away.
"But-but-but, Jenny! I didn't mean anything by it, I swear! I swear!" he cried in an attempt to soothe her. Wally West, don't ever become a therapist.
"Oh, I bet that gets you all the girls!" Jen screamed sarcastically, the hexes still coming non-stop.
After a few more seconds, Jen let out an exasperated breath, rubbing her temples vividly. "You'd better thank your lucky stars that I've got a student council meeting today, West."
As soon as the pink-haired girl stormed off, muttering some choice words about 'annoying playboy gingers', Wally kneeled and, cowering, started praising the powers-that-be.
Only after thirty verses of thanks did the speedster realize he was in the middle of the hall, and, much worse, in the middle of a crowd. He stood up nonchalantly and started walking (yes, walking) to the cafeteria.
"What, have you never seen a guy say thanks before?"
"Dude!"
Gar waved his hand enthusiastically, pointing down at their table once he caught sight of his friend.
"'Sup! Where's Jen?" he asked innocently, watching as Wally put down his tray dejectedly. He flinched.
"At a student council meeting," Wally replied carefully. What they don't know, won't hurt them...
"Hey, watch me balance the spoon on my nose!" Gar exclaimed, carefully positioning the utensil. Vic stared at him strangely.
"You're a weird kid, you know that?"
"I'm not a kid!" Gar protested, catching the spoon with one hand.
"Roll call!"
The voice rang throughout the room and the chatter of several people gradually subsided. A boy with glasses too big for his face and a crisp polo shirt nodded in approval, and he casually shuffled papers on the long table.
"Student council vice-president, Gemini de Mille?"
A girl with black hair sitting heedlessly at the right hand of the boy smiled, waving her hand. "Present."
"Student council secretary, Kit Freeman?"
At the left of the roll caller was a boy grinning widely. "Present!"
"Student council treasurer, Koma Anders?"
"Right here, lamebrain," Koma called out with much disinterest.
"Third year representative, Angela Hawkins?"
"The third; present," purred a girl seated next to Kit. The boy rolled his eyes and glanced down at his papers again.
"Third year representative, Brion Markov?"
"Right here, Seymour," a boy with orange hair called out, smiling. The boy called Seymour smiled back.
"Second year representative, Jessie Chambers?"
A girl with curly blonde hair smiled graciously at the rest of the council. "Present."
"Second year representative, Miriam Delgado?"
"Here!" Miriam swished her black ponytail around, grinning broadly at Seymour.
"Second year representative, Charlie Watkins?"
A boy with spiked hair, tinted with neon pinks and blues, raised his hand quietly. Seymour scratched the back of his neck and nodded in acknowledgement.
"First year representative, Jennifer Hex?" He said the name with great interest, his eyes scanning the room in search of the girl.
The door to the council office burst open, and a panting Jen nearly fell forward in exhaustion. "I'm. Here. Sorry. I'm. Late."
Seymour felt a slight heat rush to his cheeks. "That's okay, Jen. Please take a seat."
He cleared his throat, and proceeded with roll call. "First year representative, Barbara Gordon?"
"Right here, dear," Barbara said, winking. A lock of her fiery red hair was twirled around her finger, and she slowly unraveled it with much interest.
"First year representative, Kyle Rayner?"
"Present!" the boy called out in a singsong voice, imitating a preschooler on his first day. Seymour chuckled, and stepped aside, revealing a boy seated at the head of the table. His face was set in a hard expression, and he eyed each of the student council members.
"I am Damian Wayne, student council president."
Kyle raised his hand. "Aren't you the kid in my class? You're the advanced one, right? Aren't you a bit young to be leading this orga-"
"Questions that do not pertain to this school's business are not to be entertained," Damian said, his icy tone cutting through the air.
Jen slumped backward and drowned out the sound of Kyle and Damian throwing arguments at each other. Her first day at council and she was already bored out of her mind. This was going to be a long school year...
"Hey, aren't you friends with Dick Grayson?"
"Classmates," Jen corrected lazily. "Associates."
"Right," the girl said, smiling at Jen, waiting for her to reply.
Jen vaguely remembered her name. "I'm sorry, what was your name again? Betty something?"
The smile tightened. "Barbara Gordon."
"Ah. Jennifer Hex," the sorceress said, sticking out her hand. "Call me Jen."
"Call me Babs," the red-haired girl returned, taking the hand and shaking it.
"So. Do you have any powers or something?" Jen asked vaguely. Babs shook her head, still smiling.
"No, but I'm part of a meta class. Rank two."
"Oh. Too bad. I'm part of a meta class, too - rank one."
"Good for you, then. Powers?"
"Probability manipulation," Jen recited. Her chest tightened a bit as the memory of homeroom came flooding back, and that goofy grin of his was right in front of her...
"Cool. Do you think you could do something about the two doofuses who won't shut up?"
"My pleasure," Jen drawled, smiling slightly. Her fingers clicked, and the light fixture fell in between the arguing boys, narrowly missing their faces.
"Time for a break, methinks," Koma called out. Jen made a mental note to ask that Kori girl if there was any relation between them.
The members rushed out of the tiny office; Jen and Babs walked together to the cafeteria. Jen couldn't wait to introduce her to everyone else...
A/N: A long one! Hopefully the quality matches the quantity. If anyone's interested, here is a list of characters and their corresponding DCU alter-egos. I won't be giving all of them a major role, although you'll probably be seeing them a bit more in the future...
Main Characters (Original Titans)
Richard "Dick" Grayson - Robin/Nigtwing
Kori Anders - Starfire/Koriand'r
Raven Roth - Raven
Garfield "Gar" Logan - Beast Boy/Changeling
Victor "Vic" Stone - Cyborg
Secondary Characters (Titans East, Honorary Titans, Antagonists and the like)
Wallace Rudolph "Wally" West - Kid Flash
Jennifer "Jen" Hex - Jinx
Roy Harper - Speedy
Garth - Aqualad
Joseph Wilson - Jericho
Kole Weathers - Kole
Isaiah Crockett - Hotspot/Joto
Antonia "Toni" Monetti - Argent
Barbara "Babs" Gordon - Batgirl/Oracle
Koma Anders - Blackfire/Komand'r
Slade Wilson - Slade/Deathstroke
Supporting Characters (Other students, teachers and the like)
Rose Wilson - Ravager
Seymour Oculos - Seemore (Yeah, he has a lame last name, but he didn't exist in the DCU so I had to leave it up to my lame imagination...)
Miriam Delgado - Mirage
Gemini de Mille - Gemini
Brion Markov - Geoforce
Christopher "Kit" Freeman - Kid Eternity
Angela Hawkins III - Phobia
Jessie Belle Chambers - Jessie Quick
Charlie Watkins - Killowat
Kyle Rayner - Green Lantern
Niel Richards - Mad Mod
Lara de Mille - Madame Rouge
Well, that was a longie. I might even add new characters as we progress (I'll definitely be adding parents and such), so I'd better remember to keep you updated as we'll be introducing some characters that weren't part of the Animated Series (but part of the DCU continuity nonetheless).
For now, review, please!