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So...yeah...Disclaimer: don't own tt or anything...


Kori didn't knw how she worked up the courage to go to school the next day. Her parents had left early in the morning to wherever her father's business trip had taken them, and Koma was still sulky from last night when "that Grayson idiot just walked away" from her. Kori didn't bother mentioning that "that Grayson idiot" was two years younger than Koma, because she knew Koma would march over to Wayne mansion and kill Richard for blowing her off when she was a college girl.

"I admire you," Koma had said. Kori raised an eyebrow, suspicious. "Honestly. I mean, you're still going to go to school and act like nothing happened. Doesn't that guy...Zazu or whatever his name is...go to school with you?" Kori nodded, but didn't correct Koma. She couldn't bring herself to say his name as of yet.

Xavier would be there today, but funnily enough, her main concern was Richard. She hadn't listened to him, but he still...er...rescued her, however corny that sounded. "Your knight in shining armor," Koma had put it, smirking. Kori ignored her, but that pretty much covered what she was thinking. Maybe if she had listened to him, she wouldn't be as confused.

Now, Koma brought her back down to Earth. Xavier could very well try to hurt her again today, and it might have been smarter to stay at home, but Kori didn't want anyone else knowing something was wrong. Maybe just Jenny, Terra, and Kitten.

The walk to school nearly drove her insane. She was walking alone, another bad idea. Who knew, Xavier could be just behind that bush, or watching from any one of those windows. It was a relief when she met other people walking the same way.

However, these people happened to be Rachel Roth and Karen Beecher, two of Richard's friends. Kori gulped and approached them cautiously.

"Hey," she said softly. Rachel eyed her suspiciously, but Karen smiled.

"Hey, Kori, what's up?" Kori smiled at her gratefully.

"Um, do you guys mind if I walk with you for a little bit?" she asked.

"No. Come on, girl! I heard you were at Bruce's big party last night. How was it?" Kori gulped again, not willing to remember last night.

"It was...nice. Big. And old-fashioned." Karen smirked.

"You mean courteous, intimidating, and very old-fashioned? You've just about described Bruce." Kori laughed. Richard hadn't told them. Thank goodness. Karen was still talking.

"You know, I don't really know why Richard hates you so much. I mean, you're nice, smart, friendly, the whole deal. What's with him?"

"You've just about described Babs," said Rachel. It was the first time Kori had ever heard her speak. Her voice was monotonous and dull, but whatever she had said just shut Karen up.

"Who's Babs?" asked Kori interestedly. Karen shook her head.

"We'll leave Richard to tell you that. So anyway, did you guys see the football game two days ago? Man, Vic was so..." Karen went on talking about pointless things, leaving Kori to wonder about this mysterious Babs person.

When they got to the school, Kori spotted Terra, Jenny, and Kitten, and exchanged goodbyes with Rachel and Karen. "Hey, you guys," she greeted, looking around warily. Then she spotted him. Black hair, and...oh...sunglasses...not Xavier...Richard. He was coming her way, but didn't seem to be looking at her. I guess I have to thank him...

"Richard!" she called. He didn't hear her, but now her friends were suspicious.

"Kori, why...?" asked Terra, confused.

"I'll explain later," Kori said. She started walking towards him.

It happened so fast, it seemed like a blur. One minute, Kori was trying to get his attention, and when Richard looked at her, an annoyed expression on his face, she tripped over something. She crashed to the floor on her side, and it felt like her arm was broken. Richard finally stopped just in front of her, sniggering while she moaned in pain. She glared up at him. "What?"

"Nothing. I guess tripping people never gets old..." he said offhandedly. Kori felt like she was about to explode.

"HOW COULD YOU? After what I've been through last night! I came over here to thank you, but forget it! I don't even know why you bothered. Why not just leave me there with him, it would have been so much easier for you!" She started crying again, suppressed memories fighting their way out. "Why didn't you just let him do what he wanted with me? What's your problem? Is it because you're the only one that should ever be able to make me cry? Do you personally want to make me miserable? Is that it?" she sobbed. Terra and Jenny stared at the scene in shock, while Kitten watched Richard. His expression was completely blank. It was driving Kori insane. "ANSWER ME!" she yelled. She shoved him, but Richard didn't move.

"Xavier's in the hospital. Just thought you'd want to know," he said in a deadly calm voice. He turned Kori around and gave her a rough push back to her friends, and then left. Jenny awkwardly hugged her, and Kori kept crying. The numerous people that had been watching dispersed.

"What was that about?" asked Terra. Kori shook her head.

By lunch time, she was pretty much back to normal, but she wouldn't talk to anyone. She sat at the lunch table, head in hands, staring at her pizza. Richard put Xavier in the hospital? So much for nobody knowing about last night. Terra, Jenny, and Kitten stared at her in anticipation. Kori got the idea that she was supposed to say something. "Homeroom was a nightmare."

Jenny patted her shoulder. "What happened?"

Kori told them everything, and by the end, she was fighting to hold back tears. However, Jenny was the only sympethetic one.

"You know what?" said Kitten. Everyone turned to listen. She was staring at Kori accusingly. "I think you're spending too much time around my Richie-poo for my taste. You're trying to steal him from me!"

Kori almost snorted in disbelief. That was the single most stupid thing she had ever heard anyone say. "What?"

"You two are always flirting. Don't try to tell me you aren't. I mean, why else would you guys play pranks on each other all the time? And you danced with him at this thing. Not to mention I saw you two kissing at the beginning of the year. You told me that was an accident. And on my date with him you wre all cuddled up after Richie-poo and I were kissing. And now you're making a big deal out of him saving you, or whatever. He's mine, do you hear that? He's just trying to be nice, and you keep taking advantage of that! He's so confused, he can't tell who's best for him anymore, even though it's obviously me. And when he dumped you in the hallway? Yeah, that was because he had a nice long night to think about it and he was trying to show you he didn't want you," Kitten finished, smugly smiling at such a good explanation.

"That's stupid! It was an accident! I'd never kiss Richard Grayson voluntarily. You guys know that!" she said, looking around at her friends. Jenn nodded and smiled, but Terra looked uneasy.

"You've gotta admit, Kori, it sounds pretty suspicious," she said. Kori stared at her disbelievingly.

"You two," she said, shaking her head, "are idiots." Kitten and Terra sniffed.

"Well, our lives aren't all perfect either, you know," argued Terra.

"What happened?" asked Kori, interested. It would help get her mind of Xavier.

"Gar asked me out yesterday." This statement was met by congratulations. "But I don't think he likes me that much."

"What do you mean?" asked Kitten. Terra sighed.

"He keeps talking to that Rachel girl. It's like I don't even exist from the moment he asked me out. It's been Rachel this and Rachel that whenever he does talk to me. Is that normal?" asked Terra.

"It probably didn't mean anything. He's probably just trying to get you jealous," teased Kori, but Kitten shook her head.

"Dump him. I swear, if he doesn't compliment you twenty three/seven like my Richie-poo does, then he's not worth it." Kori closed her eyes in annoyance.

"Kitten, first of all there are twenty four hours in a day, and second, you and Richard aren't in a relationship. He hates you." Kitten sprang up.

"So you admit it! Just because Richie-poo hasn't asked yet, you're trying to get him for yourself!" Kori groaned.

"I give up. I don't know when it'll get through your thick skull that I don't like Richard, I never have, and I never will, and I almost think you're too good for him." Kori saw, out of the corner of her eye, someone walking away from her. She turned around, but whoever it was must have ran. She shrugged. At least she didn't have to worry about Xavier. He was in the hospital...right?


Richard felt horrible about this. He didn't want to do it, but the other outcome would be worse: change. He liked things how they were. But he couldn't be that heartless...

He was nearly late as he reached the school. He saw Kori calling to him as he walked down the hallway. Great...

So here was Plan: Get Kori To Hate You Again. Surprisingly, it wasn't that hard. He stuck out his foot at an odd angle to catch her as she approached. She went crashing to the floor, and he forced a laugh.

"What?" she asked, glaring.

"Nothing. I guess tripping people never gets old..." he said, in what he hoped was an indifferent voice. Thanks goodness he was wearing his sunglasses. She would have to take one look at his eyes and it would all be there, the fact that hurting her now caused him pain, as well. Kori's face turned as red as her hair.

"HOW COULD YOU? After what I've been through last night! I came over here to thank you, but forget it! I don't even know why you bothered. Why not just leave me there with him, it would have been so much easier for you!" She started crying again, and Richard actually had to fight the urge to hug her until it all went away. "Why didn't you just let him do what he wanted with me? What's your problem? Is it because you're the only one that should ever be able to make me cry? Do you personally want to make me miserable? Is that it?" she sobbed. He tried to keep his expression completely blank, but he couldn't take one more minute of this. "ANSWER ME!" she yelled. She shoved him, but Richard didn't move.

"Xavier's in the hospital. Just thought you'd want to know," he said in a deadly calm voice. He turned Kori around and gave her a rough push back to her friends, and then left. Homeroom was not going to be fun.

He was right. Kori's eyes were red and puffy from crying, and the teacher offered to send her to the nurse, but she declined with a shake of her head. Richard had his fists clenched the whole time under his desk. He had almost no classes with her until lunch. What a relief. Math would be horrible.

At lunch, he was totally worn out. Karen glared at him disapprovingly. "I can't believe what you did to that poor girl! Rumor has it that Xavier tried to...well, you know...and she beat him up so bad he had to be hospitalized." Richard sighed.

"I beat Xavier up so bad he had to be hospitalized. It was at Bruce's party and Xavier was drunk or something." The table was shocked.

"She was walking with me and Rachel this morning...never said a word..." murmured Karen. She leaned her head on Vic's shoulder. Richard sighed again, running a hand through his hair.

"I did what I did for the best, okay? So...yeah..." He hated this. He hated everything. He stabbed at his paper tray with his fork, trying to get more of the pasta or whatever this was. Everyone else took that as a cue to leave him alone. Everyone except Karen.

"I still think you should go apologize, Dick," she argued. Richard didn't feel like debating, so he got up and walked over to her table.

He was about five feet away when he heard Kori start to talk to Kitten, that maniac from the cruise boat. "I give up. I don't know when it'll get through your thick skull that I don't like Richard, I never have, and I never will, and I almost think you're too good for him."

Richard stopped, feeling far more miserable than he should have. How was he supposed to apologize when she had just said Kitten was too good for him? "Forget it," he muttered to himself. He turned on his heel and left the lunchroom. He saw his friends staring, but he didn't care.

He hated Kori. She hated him. He hated that she hated him. He hated the fact that he hated that she hated him. If that made any sense. He hated the fact that he cared about what she thought of him. There was so much love in his life.

Richard was seriously thinking about going Goth.


LOL a Gothic Robin? Something I would have to see. I mean, just look at his uniform...well, that's where Nightwing comes in, I guess...

I have nothing against Goths, just so you know, and I'm nowhere near Gothic, but someday I'll get there.

Happy Summer!

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