Disclaimer: Noooot mine~
Throw of the Dice
Chapter Eleven
Thursday – 3 days until Prom
Barbara Gordon was always an organised person. Her mother had always been like that too, whereas her father was the complete opposite. Her dad would forget his head if it wasn't screwed onto his shoulders, which was quite an endearing quality in Barbara's eyes. He was always lost if he wasn't with one of them, but luckily they had both been there to keep him on the right track.
But things change in life when you least expect them too.
Not too long after her eleventh birthday, the arguments began. Her mother accused her dad with working too late, her dad accused her mom of no longer caring about their family, and so on. It went on like that for about six months, when one morning Barbara woke up to her dad crying in the kitchen, holding a note that explained that her mom had met someone else and was leaving Gotham, and had given him a Court date so they could settle the divorce and who gets custody of Barbara. As soon as she had read the note, she promised her dad she wasn't going anywhere, and she had stuck by that promise. Her mother, of course, had not been pleased by the news that she wouldn't be joining her, so they hardly spoke, which honestly suited Babs fine. The birthday and Christmas card was enough.
So this was why Babs made the extra effort to make those close to her happy. Because the look on her dad's face that horrible morning had been enough to make Barbara realise that the unexpected could happen any time, and that she had to give people happy memories to cover up the bad ones. Humming softly to herself, the red head poured herself and her father a cup of coffee. Well, his one got poured into his Thermos flask, since he was once again running late for work. Taking a small sip from her mug, she watched with an amused glint in her eyes as her father ran ran around their apartment, looking for his police badge. Looking over onto the windowsill, she caught sight of the badge and the car keys. Right, in the exact same place they had been left the night before. Sighing fondly, she put down her coffee and grabbed both the keys and the badge in one hand, picking up the Thermo's in the other.
"Dad." She called out softly, stopping the man in his tracks. "Here." She held out the items to him, grinning.
"Ah, thank you Princess." He beamed, grabbing them both. "What would I do without you?"
"No idea," she replied in a teasing tone. "Have a good day at work, dad. See you at dinner."
"See you then. Have a fun day at school!" He called over his shoulder as he left, jogging down the apartment stairs to his car. Chuckling, Barbara picked up her coffee again and took a long drink from it, sighing softly. Thursday. She could survive Thursday.
Her phone buzzed to life on the table in front of her, the grin widening on her face. It would most likely be Jaime, since the two had been texting non-stop since Saturday. He had actually asked her tp Prom yesterday, but since Wally had went all out on asking Dick to Prom, she had decided against mentioning it yesterday. She made a note to tell the girls today, however, since they were the ones who would actually be concerned. Jaime was... well, interesting. He could be flirty and cheesy sometimes, but it always made Barbara laugh. If he got flustered, he would always mutter a few phrases in Spanish and would refuse to tell Babs what he had just said. He was actually a science technology geek, which was a pleasant surprise for Barbara. He had even shown her his own personal robot, which he had created all by himself. He liked to call it Khali Da , which apparently had a mind of it's own. He was smart, funny, hot... Smiling to herself, Barbara grabbed her phone. Yep, he was a keeper.
The message wasn't from him, though. It was actually a Facebook message asking her to join the group 'The Light', with the description of "the truth about Wally West". She frowned, clicking onto the group. What was this? A bully group? She couldn't exactly say she was best friends with Wally, but she couldn't stand the idea of anyone being bullied. As it loaded she took another sip of her coffee, her fingers tapping nervously on the side of her mug. There was only one post made by the group; a video with no title nor description. There had to be over one hundred comments on the videos, all of them making stupid comments about Wally... and Dick?
Clicking onto the video, her stomach turned painfully inside her, making her swallow thickly at the sudden rush of sickness that spread through her. The video was pretty poor quality; people kept walking in front of the camera, making her miss half the action. Still, she managed to make out the figures that were Wally and Roy Harper. They were talking about something, but it was difficult to hear. Frowning, Barbara turned up the volume louder, their voices cutting through the chatter of those around them.
"... Get ready to pack away your arrows.. Now who's the lucky lady?" Wally said, his ever present smirk on his face.
"Now now West, you didn't say it had to be a girl..." Roy replied, his two friends laughing.
"What the hell, Harper? That is not fair! I'm as straight as one of your freakin' arrows! You can't honestly expect me to-"
"Wow, who knew West was such a homophobe? Gotham Academy takes homophobic behaviour pretty seriously, are you trying to be offensive?"
"I'm not a bloody homophobe, I totally dig lesbians and girl on girl action, but I'm not a fag! You never said I had to go out with a guy or I would have never agreed to this in the first place!"
"You never asked, so it's your own fault. And we shook on it now, we can't go back, unless your dropping out? Because if that's the case, you'll have to drop out of the Running club right now."
"What? That is too far, Harper-"
"Not my fault your big headed and think you can get anyone. Won't this be easy for you, West? After all, anyone would drop their dates to go out with you, so why the problems? Just ask the person I pick.. We've found you the perfect date, West. Trust me, your really going to love him. Tell me West, ever seen yourself dating at rich kid?"
"Are you serious? I'm meant to be trying to go to prom with you?"
"No, your going to prom with Richard Grayson."
There was a burst of laughter as Wally's expression fell, the video ending there. Barbara stared at the now blank screen, her chest feeling tight; she was surprised at the amount of pain and betrayal she was feeling, but she knew that it was because Dick was going to be heartbroken. They had trusted him! She knew he was trouble but Dick... Dick was so desperate for them all to get along. Oh Dick, this is going to break you...
Dumping her coffee, she grabbed her school bag and home keys, locking the door as she left. Someone had to be there to pick up the pieces. And to punch Wally West in his smug little face.
o-O-o
Wally's pretty sure that he's never ran this fast in his whole life. He was going to be late for school, which didn't actually bother him in the slightest, except he had promised to meet Dick before their first class, so that they could at least talk to each other before lunchtime. And he really didn't want to let him down. He had, of course, let the other know that he was running late, so he might not make it. But Dick had simply replied;
Hey, running is basically your super power, I'll be kinda disappointed if the Captain of the running team doesn't make it here on time. Get going, I'm timing you.
He could see the school gates. It was deserted, by the looks of things. Good, at least Dick wouldn't object to a kiss, then. With a grin plastered on his face, he raced around the corner to the school, his boyfriend in his sights. Dick's blue eyes were stuck firmly on his watch, not looking away from it until Wally was practically beside him. The younger teen gave him a soft smile as he crossed his arms.
"That took you just under nine minutes to get here. I'm impressed." Dick told him, giving Wally a small pat on his back as he leaned over to try and catch his breath. The red head looked up at him, his cheeks a flaming red due to the amount of running.
"I hope so, it usually takes me twenty minutes to walk. The things I do for you, heh." He straightened up, smiling at him. As Dick dropped his crossed arms, Wally wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled him close, giving him a firm kiss. Dick kissed him back just as enthusiastically, making Wally hold him tighter. Could it always be like this? Dick and himself, happy? The bell broke his thoughts, and his lips against Dick's as his boyfriend pulled away from him.
"Time for class!" Cackling as Wally groaned, he gave the other a playful shove. "Aw, don't be like that. Holidays are coming up, you know. See you at lunch?"
"Yep, see you then." Wally replied, watching him walk into school. What class did he even have first again? Sighing, he leaned against the school wall, closing his eyes for a moment. He loved spending those small moments with Dick, but he also loved sleeping in on the mornings he had to be in school. Well, he could always nap in the library. Unless the prom committee were in there still making final touches before the big event. Crap, where had he put those tickets? Did Dick have them? Oh, he hoped he did or he was going to be in deep sh-
The hard slap across his face wasn't expected, but it snapped him out of his thoughts quick enough.
"The fuck?" Wally shouted, ignoring the burning feeling on his cheek as he turned to face the ass hole who had just hit him. Hell, he wasn't really the type to get into fights, but this fucker was just asking for it.
"You actual- Barbara?" She had hit him? He stared at her for a moment, trying to work out what the hell was going on, when she raised her hand to strike him again. He dodged, luckily, but she continued to try and hit him wherever she could.
"You... you bastard!" She shouted out, her nails aiming for his face again. "You used him! You are twisted, Wally West! Did you think this would be funny? That it wouldn't hurt him? I swear I could kill you!"
"Barbara, will you-fucking hell, just stop!" He shouted, grabbing her wrists tightly and holding them down. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"Your bet!" She yelled, trying to get her hands free. Wally froze, staring at her with wide eyes. "God, look at you! You can't even try to hide it, it's written all over your face! Are you happy, huh? Not only is going to have to deal with everyone laughing at him for thinking you cared, but he's going to be completely heart broken over this!"
"You... how..." Wally whispered, his face completely pale. His world was crashing down around him as he stared at the other red head, her words ringing loud and clear in his ears. He felt sick. He was going to be sick.
"Someone posted a video on Facebook, the whole thing!" She snapped, finally get her hands free. She refrained from attacking him again, however, simply crossing her arms to make sure she didn't lash out. "I knew it. I knew it and I told him you were trouble. But no, you just had to let him think that this fantasy was real-"
"No, listen." He whispered, looking down as his eyes burned. "It was real. It was all real for me. Maybe... maybe not at the beginning, but I swear I have never wanted someone so bad in my whole life."
"Bullshit." She spat out, her eyes narrowing into slits. "You are so full of shit, Wally. Every single word is a lie." Her hand struck out, and he flinched, expecting another hit. Instead, she wrapped her hand around his tie, pulling his face inches away from her own. "I am going to give you one chance, Wally. You tell him before lunch or I will. He deserves to know, and not from some random person." She let him go with a glare, fixing her bag on her shoulder. "If he hasn't heard from you by lunch, I will do it. And I'm not going to sugar coat it, either." Barbara told him. With one last look of disgust, she was racing into school, her rage following her.
Wally felt cold. It wasn't the type of cold you felt when a strong gust of air hit you face first, and you had no way to protect yourself as it wrapped itself around you. No, this feeling was the type of cold that Barry used to feel everyday when he worked in Central City's Police station. The dead kind of cold. He would say that there was always a new level of freezing in the Morgue, one that didn't come from the building itself but from the dead who were currently waiting there. Wally had went to visit him there once, and he never understood what Barry had meant before now. He was cold, because he felt dead inside.
Dick was going to find out about the whole thing; maybe he already knew. Thankfully, he refused to get a Facebook account, but that didn't mean he could have avoided it. He would wonder why he was being laughed at, why everyone went would whisper and snicker around him until some brave idiot would speak up. He would find out, and he was going to lose him.
And didn't he deserve it? Of course he did. But Wally had to come to terms with one thing about himself; he was selfish. He didn't want to lose Dick, not after all of this. It wasn't about the bet any more. At the start, that was what it had always been about, but now? Now the idea that he was going to be the one to hurt the other teen terrified him. Stupidly, his plan was that Dick never found out about the bet at all. That he could quietly laugh as Roy lost his title as Captain and that he and Dick could continue forward in their relationship. But of course, nothing could go the way he wanted it to. He rubbed a hand over his face, trying to snap himself out of... whatever this was. He had to grow up and tell Dick exactly what had happened. He turned to face the school, taking in deep breaths, trying to steady his pounding heart. He could do this, he could do this, he...
He couldn't do this.
Wally was good for one thing; running. He had been running away from problems all his life, and he would continue to do so until he couldn't run no more. Turning away from the school, he ran faster than he has ever went, his eyes letting out a small flow of tears, blinding his view as he headed home. He didn't think he would ever be ready to face Dick Grayson again.
o-O-o
Today had been a weird day. The whole day Dick felt as if he was missing some big joke. He walked into class to be greeted with snickers from everyone, until the teacher had silenced them. His first thought was that maybe he had split something on himself, but Alfred would never have let him leave the house with dirty clothes on. So there was a good chance someone had seen him and Wally kiss, which was slightly embarrassing but Dick didn't particularly care. If they wanted to be childish and laugh then fine.
But the thing is, the snickers and the stares happened throughout the whole day. Was the fact that the two had kissed before class such a big deal? Wally had sang to him yesterday in front of the whole school! Or maybe that was with all the looks? With a small frown on his face as he grabbed his lunch, he headed over to their usual table and waited for his friends to show up. Wally was no where to be seen, even though he was always here on time. Did he have training? Pulling out his phone, he sent the other a quick text, waiting for the reply.
Is it possible that I beat you to the cafeteria? ;)
"Dick."
He turned, sending Barbara a warm smile which she didn't return. His own dropped as he pulled out a seat for her, her movements stiff as she sat next to him. She poked at her salad, giving a soft sigh before pushing it away from her.
"Have you spoke to Wally today?"
"Er..." Great, what had his idiot of a boyfriend do this time? Whatever it was, it had put Babs in a foul mood. "Yeah, I saw him this morning and we spoke then. Why? What's happened?"
She didn't reply straight away; instead she began to glare at her salad as if it had done something wrong. "Babs." He tried again, his eyebrow raised. "Will you tell me what's wrong? If he's done something to annoy you, I'm sure he didn't mean it."
She swallowed thickly, before turning to look at him. "That is exactly it, Dick. He didn't mean it. He didn't mean any of it."
"What?" So Wally had done something he hadn't meant... and that was upsetting her? "Er, can you maybe explain it a little bett-"
Two trays of food were placed in front of them, belonging to Connor and M'gann. Dick shot them both a quick smile, before turning back to Barbara. "So, what were you-"
"Guys! Prom is actually so close!" M'gann cut in, grinning. "I keep on trying on my dress to make sure it still fits, because I don't want to have any disasters on the day... I just really wish you could come, Barbara." She said, sighing softly. "It would be awesome if we could enjoy it all together..."
There was a moment of frustration that crossed Barbara's face as their conversation was interrupted, but it disappeared as soon as it had came. M'gann clearly had yet to see the video, and Connor had only made his Facebook account so that M'gann could put on that they were both dating. They didn't know a thing. "Don't worry," Babs smiled slightly. "I am going to be there. You know Jaime?" When she received a nod in return, she continued; "we've actually been talking a lot since that, uh, party on Saturday." She replied. "And he asked me yesterday if I wanted to go as his date. And I said yes, so..." She gave a small nonchalant shrug, but the blush was evident on her face. "I will be there."
"Oh my god." M'gann whispered, eyes wide. "Jaime! You and Jaime! I should have saw it coming." She grumbled to herself, before smiling again. "You two are adorable!"
"M'gann," Babs laughed, her tense form leaving. "You haven't even seen us together yet!"
"I know, but I can imagine it!" She answered back, giggling. "And it is adorable!"
"What's adorable?" Artemis asked as she put her tray of food on the table, pulling off her bag and kicking it under the table. Sitting down, she grabbed a few chips from her plate, sending the group a curious look.
"Barbara is going to prom with Jaime Reyes!" M'gann beamed, which dragged the three girls into a whole new conversation. Kaldur sat down and shot the two boys a confused look, to which they both shrugged at. Wally still wasn't there, and he hadn't replied to Dick's text either. Was it creepy that he was wondering where he was? Could that be seen as controlling? You are over thinking, Grayson.
… It couldn't hurt to send another, could it?
Hey, you okay?
o-O-o
Two new messages from Dick. Both he was too scared to look at. Pulling his duvet around him, he frowned at his phone, his eyes red. His head was pounding after so much crying, but he couldn't even get himself to move and grab so aspirin. It was probably dick begging him to tell him that what he had heard wasn't true, that Barbara had been making up the whole thing for some stupid reason. And what could he say? Oh no, she was telling you the truth, sorry. Are you still up for prom, by the way?
He had found the half-crumbled prom tickets jammed in one of his pockets, and he had been holding tightly onto them ever since. He had to beat this fear, this feeling that kept taking hold of him ever time he told himself just to do it. To tell his poor boyfriend (most likely ex by now) what was really going on, and then explain that the bet didn't matter to him. He needed Dick to know that, before they never spoke again. Fuck, this is bad. My life has never been this bad.
Slowly, he picked up his phone and clicked on the messages, fighting the urge to put it back down and ignore the whole mess.
Is it possible that I beat you to the cafeteria? ;)
Hey, you okay?
He doesn't know. There is a god. Wally thought to himself, letting out the air he hadn't realised he was holding. That meant this was all up to him to do it, which was either a good or a bad thing. No, don't start thinking shit like that, you wanted to tell him yourself. He needs to know the truth from you. Stop thinking about yourself and do it for him.
Pressing the call button on his phone, he held it up to his ear and waited.
o-O-o
"Does anyone have any idea what the hell 'The Light' is on Facebook?" Artemis inquired as she flicked through her phone, frowning slightly. "Heaps of people have joined it."
Barbara froze up, her eyes wide as she watched Artemis click on the group. Kaldur looked over her shoulder, his eyebrows furrowed as he read its description. "It's something to do with Wally." He said, sharing a look with Artemis.
"What?" Dick said, sitting up straighter in his chair. "What do you mean? What does it say about him?"
"Nothing." Kaldur commented. "It only says 'the truth about Wally West'. Perhaps it is something to do with his running team?"
"No," Barbara spoke up, trying to grab Artemis's phone. "Guys, look, I've been trying to tell Dick-"
"Babs, stop it, I want to watch the video." Artemis frowned, pulling away from her and pressing play. Barbara tried to grab it again, but it was too late. The video was playing and the whole group were watching it.
"Dick." She said, shaking his shoulder. He held up his hand, as if telling her to wait, but she shook her head at him. "This can't wait, will you please just listen? Wally is-" A loud buzzing stopped her speech, making her grit her teeth with annoyance. Dick pulled out his phone and smiled when Wally's name appeared on it, quickly answering the call.
"Hey Walls, is everything okay with you? Where even are you?"
"Dick, I need you to listen to me. First, just let me say I'm so sorry-"
"What about?" Dick frowned, his eyes back on the video. "What happened?"
"Not my fault your big headed and think you can get anyone. Won't this be easy for you, West? After all, anyone would drop their dates to go out with you, so why the problems? Just ask the person I pick.. We've found you the perfect date, West. Trust me, your really going to love him. Tell me West, ever seen yourself dating at rich kid?" The video played on, Dick trying to listen to Wally at the same time. What the hell was going on here?
"I did something stupid and horrible, and I never expected you to find out." Wally murmured in his ear, the confidence it always had gone.
"Are you serious? I'm meant to be trying to go to prom with you?" Prom? This was about prom? Dick pulled the phone away from his ear, his mouth forming the perfect 'O' as he stared at the screen. No way. But he was going to prom with Wally. But... oh.
"Dick? Dick? Are you still here?" Wally said, worry in his tone.
"No, your going to prom with Richard Grayson." Roy said on the small screen, and quickly Artemis closed the video, her face pale.
"Wally... I need to go." Dick murmured, quietly shutting his phone. A stunned silence had fallen over the table, with everyone staring at Dick. The idiot who thought Wally really wanted to go with him to prom.
"Dick," Barbara whispered. "I tried to tell you, I swear I did. I only found out this morning."
"It's fine, Barbara." He heard himself say. His body felt like it was auto-pilot as he stood up, muttering something about going to the bathroom. His feet felt heavy as he dragged himself towards the boys toilets, his phone still held tightly in his hand. He felt it buzz as a new call came through, probably from Wally, but he didn't pick it up. Pushing open the door to the bathroom, he found himself and empty stall and sat down in it, staring ahead of him.
So, it had all been a lie. That part was quite hard to swallow. He slid to the floor of the bathroom, not even caring that it was probably dirty. He clutched his stomach, biting his lip. He felt sick.
He had put all his trust into Wally West; he had opened up to him about his parents, he had given him too many seconds chances to prove that he really wanted to be with Dick, but now he knew the truth. The whole thing had been between Wally and Roy Harper, and he had just been the unwanted pawn in the middle of it. God, he should have known the truth. He was so fucking stupid.
It took him a second to notice he was crying, and then he couldn't stop it. Tear after tear fell, even though he kept thinking to himself that Wally wasn't worth it. He had shoved his fist into his mouth as his crying got worse, his teeth biting into the tender skin as he tried to hold himself together. This morning, they had been happy; Wally had kissed him and it had felt like he meant it. But how did Wally feel when he had kissed him? Disgusted? Or maybe tired of having to pretend to like it?
Really, it all made sense now. Wally was known for being a hit with the girls in his year; Dick had caught him with Kory, for crying out loud. Kory was practically a model, and Dick was... well, he was a scrawny little fifteen year old boy who could figure out any mathematical problem but could never tell you the soccer scores. Why would Wally ever be interested in someone like him?
Last Tuesday didn't seem to weird now either. The bet must have been made on the Monday, giving Wally about two weeks to get him to go to prom with him. And hey, you agreed to go to prom with the liar. The only person who looks like an idiot here is you.
This shouldn't hurt so much, Dick thought to himself as he shakily pulled out his phone, flicking through his contacts. I need to laugh this off or something. But he knew himself that he couldn't do that. He had really felt something for Wally; he was his first crush, his first kiss, his first go and love. And it had all been fake. A sob escaped him as his vision blurred, his stomach rolling again. He had to get out of here, out of all the laughing people. And he knew the one person that could do that.
"Bruce Wayne speaking."
"... Dad?" Dick whispered, biting his lip.
"Richard?" There was concern in Bruce's voice; he knew something was wrong. "Is everything okay?"
"No." Dick replied, before breaking down. His sobs echoed around the deserted bathroom, getting louder and more difficult to control. He knew that Bruce couldn't handle it when he cried, so he had no idea why he was calling him. But he did need to hear the voice of someone he could trust, who he knew that he could rely on.
"Richard, Richard..." Bruce murmured quietly in his ear, sighing softly. "Son, calm down. Talk to me."
"I... I can't." Dick replied, trying to control his tears. "Not here. Can you..." God, he sounded like such a baby. "Can you pick me up from school?"
There was a pause on the other end, and a shuffling of papers. "I have a meeting in five minutes, with the Board of Directors..."
"Oh." His breath caught in his throat. Yeah, this had been a stupid mistake. Bruce was always busy at work, he should never have bothered him. "I'm sorry, I'll just-"
"I will be there in ten minutes, Richard. I will see you soon, alright?"
"... Thank you."
"You do not have to thank me." Bruce replied. "Everything will be fine when we get home. I didn't really want to go to that meeting anyway." He was trying to be funny. Jeez, he really loved his dad.
"Hah, good... see you soon." Dick mumbled, ending the call. He sat still on the ground for five minutes, trying to take everything in. Wally had lied about the whole thing. He had made him look like a fool. And he still had feelings for the ass hole. After everything he had done, he still wanted this to just be a twisted nightmare that he was going to wake up from soon.
Slowly, he got up. He put his phone back in his pocket and straightened up his clothes. He grabbed some toilet paper and wiped his eyes, slowing the tears. His eyes were burning, but there was nothing he could do about that. Sighing, he opened the toilet door and looked around, grateful to see that he was still alone. He turned on the taps to the sink and splashed the cold water on his face a few times, watching as it went down the drain. It was funny, how the water appeared so quickly but disappeared as fast as it came. He stood up, fixed his tie, and turned towards the door.
It burst open, Roy Harper walking in. Dick froze, staring at him for a second, before hurrying past him. Roy watched him go silently, before allowing the smirk to appear on his face. Now this, this was much better.
o-O-o
Hi! :) Hope you are all well.
Firstly, thank you all for your lovely reviews, I read them all! They really help me to keep going :) Keep them coming! Depressing chapter much? You all knew it was coming ;) It wasn't how I completely imagined it, but I could have done worse? I don't know -rolls away-
I researched Barbara's background, but I couldn't find a clear storyline about her mother that I wanted to follow, so I made that one up myself! :D The title of this chapter may also be a little confusing, but it is based off the song 'Lemon' by Katy Rose. It's depressing, so it fits. Listen to get a better picture!
Just in case I do not see you before Christmas (though I hope I do), have a great holiday and relax! This year is nearly at it's end! Which is really terrifying! :D
Krox1
