Hey! I know you've all waited patiently for me to update and here it is, the next chapter. I'm sorry to say that there are probably only 2 more chapters left! :( I hope you all enjoy the chapter and I'm sorry if its a bit rushed, I wrote this on 3 hours of sleep...
Here is...
Chapter 6!
That day, after school, Richard found Cy near his car to get a ride home.
"Hey, um, I'm going to need to you to do me a solid, Cy," began Richard once they were inside the car, away from fans equipped with their picture phones. Now was one instance where Richard hated technology, what happened to the large cameras that could be spotted miles away?
"Whatcha need man?" asked Cy.
"Um, I'm going to need Jinx's number," stated Richard, and before he could explain why, Cy was off on him.
"WHAT? YOU'VE BEEN MESSING AROUND ON RAE? SHE DESERVES TO BE MAD AT YOU, SPIKY HAIRED, FOUR FOOT TALL FREAK!"
In the middle of Cy's rant, Richard pulled out a water bottle and tipped it so that the water almost poured out….
"Alright, alright, what do you want dude? Don't hurt my baby!" begged Vic, on the verge of tears at the mere thought of his T-car in harm's way.
"Just listen," answered Richard, still holding the water bottle at its precarious balance until he was finished, "I need her number because she's Raven's best friend. I need her help…"
"Oh," replied Vic, sheepishly, "Sure, man. It's 703-555-4770."
Richard quickly copied it onto a corner of one of his notebooks. "Thanks man. You saved my ass," Richard admitted, a grin on his face. For the first time, he felt like he had a chance to get Raven back. She was never yours to begin with, get a grip he reminded himself.
Richard was on edge for the rest of the drive to his house, he needed to get home and call Jinx. He wouldn't feel better until he had his plan completely worked out.
"Cut it out man!" snapped Vic out of the blue. It took Richard a moment to register the fact that Vic was referring to his fingers tapping on the passenger door.
"Sorry, I'm just really nervous." And I feel like I'm going to puke he mentally added. He had no idea how he was going to pull this off.
"Hey man, whatcha nervous about?" questioned Vic, curious about what Richard had planned.
"I'm not sure I can pull this off," groaned Richard.
"What's 'this'?"
And then Richard told Vic his plan, after all, Vic had been his confidante up until then and had done a fairly good job. Not to mention he knew Raven well and he would know if the plan had a chance of working.
"So?" asked Richard earnestly. He was losing it.
"Dude, if that doesn't work, I don't know what will," replied Vic grinning, "That's brilliant man, certifiably genius."
Richard tried to match Vic's enthusiasm, however, part of him registered the fact that a) there was a chance this wouldn't work (despite its genius) and b) If, indeed, it did fail, Richard was going to have a hell of a time coming up with something better. Both of those thoughts didn't exactly comfort him.
Richard noticed the relief he felt when Vic pulled into the manor's iron gates and sighed. He really needed a better way to cope with stress, then again, this was the most stressed he'd felt ever. She kind of had that effect on him. Maybe because this was the first situation where he actually cared about the outcome.
He quickly took his stuff from Vic's car and dashed into his house, barely waving back at his friend. Vic chuckled, he knew the plan had to work. He could tell that she had a soft spot for him, like he had for her.
Meanwhile, Richard practically sprinted to his room and dialed Jinx's number…several painful moments later, he reached voicemail. He desperately needed to talk to her. So he called back. And this time, she answered. He almost felt like dancing. Almost.
"Jinx. Hey it's Richard and I really need your help…"
"With what?" he heard her ask, though he suspected that she knew why.
"I need to get Raven to talk to me again. I have a plan…" he said, carefully choosing his words.
"Tell you what, I'll help you with whatever you need. But first, you have to answer me a question. Okay?" He could tell it was going to be a question he didn't like. But he really had no other options, she was Raven's best friend and knew the most about her.
He sighed, "Okay. Ask away."
"Remember, be honest. So…do you feel anything for Raven? Anything beyond friendship, that is…" The question caught him completely off guard. He knew he wouldn't like the question, but he didn't think that would be her question. He was more accustomed to answering questions about his "mysterious" past. Or to do some kind of interview. Needless to say, he wasn't expecting that.
So did he like Raven? Well he did value her company, that was true. And he liked being around her.
"Um, I don't know. I like being around her and she understands me best, I guess. Does that count as a yes?"
He cringed when he heard her laugh, "Well, you'll never be mistaken for a great communicator, Richard. But I asked how you felt, not what you thought."
Okay, so this was definitely a tricky question. Richard thought back to all of his encounters with Raven, like spinning through a Rolodex of memories. And for each one, he realized that he was nervous around her. He wanted her approval, more so than with anyone else. And he wanted to impress her. And, if he was being honest with himself, he was a little jealous when Malcolm had swooped in and taken her away for those weeks.
And he remembered feeling a pang when she glared at him this morning, like his heart was having a spasm and he felt like he was suffocating. Okay so maybe he did feel a little something for her…
"Um, okay, yea, I do feel things around her more than around other people. Does that answer your question?" he responded, a bit peevishly, not enjoying sharing his feelings with Jessica.
"Yes it does….Omigosh I can't believe you liiiikkkkeee her!" squealed Jessica in delight.
"Okay, yes, I like her. Now will you help me?" asked an exacerbated Richard.
"Of course. What did you have in mind?"
Richard recalled the anxiousness he'd felt yesterday when he'd called Jessica and realized that he would much prefer that to today's nerves. Today was the day that he was going to get Raven to forgive him.
His nerves wouldn't let him sleep for most of the night so Richard eventually gave up and got up out of bed. He trudged over to his bathroom, and from the mirror there (which he always found unnecessary), he could see that he looked like shit. Deep plum bags lined his eyes and he looked about ten years older than he actually was. He was completely disheveled (courtesy of the tossing and turning all night), and he felt exhausted. Still he decided to continue with his morning routine of getting ready, starting with a warm shower.
When he was finally all dressed and ready to go, he saw, much to his dismay, that it was only 6:45. Nothing would be open. Richard walked downstairs, planning to relax and watch television until the store he needed to go to was open. He stumbled into the living room and was shocked to see his foster father, Bruce, already there with a bowl of cereal watching The Dark Knight. Richard took in his appearance, he too looked disheveled and worn. Richard remembered when Bruce adopted him he was strong and…healthy looking. Then again, Richard was only 10 and anyone significantly taller than him looked strong. Still, he could see traces of Bruce's aging, the gray hairs, the new wrinkles, the bags under his eyes, and the general lack of vitality that he remembered.
Bruce was often at work and being the head of the world's most successful enterprise and that did require enormous amounts of effort, and considering he spent the last few years really expanding Wayne Enterprises internationally, Richard reasoned that Bruce would definitely show signs of exhaustion. Especially since it involved a lot of traveling around the world, something that was considered to be very stressful. In that moment, Richard found himself feeling sorry for his adoptive father instead of the usual feeling of abandonment.
"Are you alright son? You look like you got in a fight and lost," commented Bruce, pulling Richard from his train of thought.
"Ha, ha. Very funny, Bruce. I couldn't sleep," replied Richard. This was one of those few moments where he and Bruce actually acted like the stereotypical father and son. And Richard found his advice invaluable, though he would never admit it.
"What's on your mind? It might help you to talk it out, you know," offered Bruce.
Richard nodded, "Be right back, we'll talk then."
Bruce just smiled as Richard left toward the kitchen, he knew why Richard quickly dashed off to the kitchen. Sure enough, a few moments later, his suspicions were proven correct when Richard returned with a bowl of Capitan Crunch cereal.
It had been their tradition since he'd first adopted the orphan. He could tell that Richard needed someone to talk to about his parent's death, so Bruce did the one thing that he knew how. He sat and talked with his new son over a bowl of sugary comfort cereal. He had fond memories of the same thing with his father and decided to pass the tradition on.
"Okay," began Richard, chewing an enormously large spoonful of cereal, "So you know how I went to school undercover?"
Bruce nodded, "Well I fucked things up with one of my best friends and now I'm trying to fix it."
Bruce sat there, as immobile and enduring as a statue, contemplating Richard's situation. Finally, he asked, "What's her name?"
Richard sat there, stunned. He knew Bruce had an uncanny ability to read people, but he never realized just how good he was at it. Again, he wasn't going to say that, so instead he opted for, "When did I say it was a girl?"
Bruce smirked, "I don't think you're the kind of person to lose sleep over a guy friend that you hurt, if your friendships with past males are any indication. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong."
Richard couldn't suppress the redness that engulfed his face, "Her name is Rav- well Rachel. But her friends call her Raven."
"Ah," replied Bruce, lapsing into thought once more.
"I take it you like this girl then?"
Richard groaned, how did everyone know?
"Yea, I do," he reluctantly admitted, running a hand through his limp, disheveled charcoal hair.
"Then let me give you this bit of advice. Women can be stubborn as hell sometimes. So if you really like her, be persistent and do not let her go. The moment you stop trying she will think that have given up and no longer find her worthwhile, so don't stop trying until you finally get her."
Richard stared dumbfounded at Bruce. And it just clicked, why Bruce never got married, this same thing happened with him. And Richard could see that it was something that he regretted very much. And for the first time he could remember, he voluntarily embraced Bruce, his mentor and his father.
"Thank-you," he muttered.
He then sat and watched the rest of The Dark Knight with Bruce, glad to spend some time with him. He suspected that Alfred also knew that this time was precious because he didn't come to collect the dirty bowls until Bruce retired to his office and Richard left the mansion.
Cruising in his sleek, black Mercedes, Richard was glad for the morning talk with Bruce, it had tremendously lifted his spirits. He wouldn't give up, no matter how many damn plans it took.
He was also glad that it was now 9:32, a time where things were open and he could occupy himself until he could begin his plan. Richard just drove lazily around Gotham for a while before finally setting off to his destination. It was finally time to put his meticulously thought out plan into action.
Raven groaned when she awoke to the ribbons of sunlight that snaked through her dark curtains and pried their way into her eyes. She really didn't feel like getting out of bed. She had a massive headache from crying and she could feel the residue left by her tears of the previous night.
Eventually, she rolled, rather ungracefully, out of bed and decided to get ready. She knew she had to pull herself together for her siblings. When she glanced in her bathroom mirror, the only thought that came to her was, wow I look like shit. She examined her reflection more closely. The bloodshot, puffy eyes were not doing her any justice. And the small streaks of mascara and smudged eyeliner made her look worse than members from Kiss. Her eyes also bore bags-no luggage- that showed her lack of a good night's sleep to anyone who gazed upon her. In short, she was a complete disaster.
She settled on starting her day off with a nice, warm shower. Normally she took short showers to preserve money, however, today was an exception. She let the warm water cascade down her back and soothe her tense muscles. After about an hour in the shower, she felt sufficiently relaxed to begin her day. She changed into her old, ratty grey sweats and threw on a black tank top. She also coaxed her hair into a decent looking bun. She had already made up her mind that today would be an at home day. Raven checked her phone for any messages from her best friend Jinx and saw several from Malcolm. He also sent a plethora of texts. Raven deleted them all, if he could forget her so quickly then she could do the same, right? Or she could pretend to. She sighed and called her friend, hoping for some support.
Thanfully, Jinx answered right away, "Raven, I was about to call. How're you holding up?"
Raven just grunted a reply.
"Get dressed in something nice, I'm dragging you out today."
"Thank-you, really, but I'm just really not in the mood, Jinx," replied Raven, her voice even more despondent than usual.
"What's wrong? Did something happen?" asked Jinx, concern evident in her voice.
"Last night I called Malcolm to talk, right? I accidentally woke him up and when he answered the phone he thought he was talking to Mindy, who's apparently, his 'dear'," ranted Raven, sadness penetrating her voice with each word.
"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry. What a prick! Now we are definitely going out today. And no arguing, I promise it'll make you feel better. And if it doesn't, then you can make me do anything to make it up to you. Okay?"
Raven chuckled, her mind filling with ways to torture her friend, "Fine. When do we leave?"
"Sometime after 6. Look, I want you to know that I really am sorry. To lose two guys you like in one day is rough," sympathized Jinx.
"Wait, what?" asked Raven. Her friend's words had just dawned on her…To lose two guys you like…she did not like Richard. No. The only reason she was even remotely upset was because he was a liar. That was the extent of it, right?
Okay so maybe she had a small, tiny, microscopic soft spot for him. He seemed nice and understanding and not judgmental like so many other highschoolers she'd known. He seemed different, and that did appeal to her. And he wasn't bad looking, but she couldn't like him, could she?
"You there?" asked Jinx, her voice slicing through Raven's thoughts.
"Um, yea. Hey let me call you back, I've got to take care of my brothers and sisters," said Raven before quickly hanging up.
She dashed downstairs to her siblings and saw them all setting up to play a game of candyland. At their urging, Raven joined in the game. But her thoughts continued to stray toward Richard no matter how she tried to chase them away. They leaked into her mind, finding the crevices and weak spots to penetrate, and Raven was left defenseless. She had nothing that could occupy her to the point where she wouldn't think . She'd even tried reading once the game was over, but much to her dismay, she couldn't focus on the tome at all.
No matter how hard she tried to prevent it, her brain spent most of the day trying to determine whether or not she actually liked Richard. She concluded, that she had, in fact, liked him a very little but now that he had proven himself a liar, she did not. Or she did not want to. In truth, she wished that he proved himself to be the different person that she thought she glimpsed before. She wanted him to be John Gray so badly and yet he'd failed spectacularly to prove that yesterday. Maybe she was hoping he was something that he wasn't. She wasn't sure. All she knew was that, come Monday, she would avoid Richard Grayson like the plague.
Good? Bad? Let me know!
Please, please, please, please (x5 million) review! I love reviews! :)
Hope you all enjoyed it!
It probably will be a few days before I get the chance to update anything, let alone this story, because I'm moving into college! yay! Thought I'd give you all a heads up! But, rest assured, I'm not abandoning this story, so be patient with me! :)
Thanks again!
~RukiaRae
