Gabby was paranoid. She tried to keep her head down and her gait strong, but she still worried that people were talking about her or wondering what had happened. There was the name 'Dinah' whispered about, and she wondered if people thought the other blonde and her had gotten into a fight. It was something that Gabby found laughable, considering they didn't know eachother well, and anyone who knew either of them (not a whole lot of the student population mind you) would know that they sat together at lunch. Hell, even Mr. Brixton knew that about them, and he was supposed to help over two thousand kids. Gabby wanted to see her new friend and tell her this, but she hadn't seen her around, not even in the halls like she used to before they had formally met. Gabby again hoped that she made it in today with the snow, but chances are, Dinah just skipped school. "Lucky," Gabby murmured as she sat down at 'their' table in the back that hadn't been snatched up. There was a lunch line headed out the door, and Gabby watched it move for a while, but when it shrunk so that the last person came about halfway across the room, she lost interest, having given up the hope that Dinah was there at school that day.

The teenager sighed sadly, wishing she could spend lunch with Barbara, but part of her was really afraid to talk to her after the seriousness of the night before. She wasn't sure if she could handle another really depressing conversation with her mentor. The thing she really wanted was for her body to stop aching. She longed for a hot bath and something for the pain. After lunch, Gabby had gotten her wish when her 4th period class was interrupted with Barbara poking into the classroom. "Sorry about this, but Gabby left this in my room, and I know she needs it." She held up a small bag that Gabby didn't recognize and she wondered what it was that her mentor had brought her.

"Very well. Gabby," Mr. Ford said almost sharply, irritated by the interruption. Gabby moved to get up, but Barbara went to Gabby's seat in the back. The teen noticed a look on her mentor's face that seemed to say to anyone who didn't know better that she was sorry for the interruption, but to Gabby it was a smirk that said they shared a secret, and that what she was giving her was something awesome. She took the bag from Barbara and nodded.

"Thank you Ms. Gordon," Gabby said, but she was speaking to a retreating back. The bag was small enough to be shoved into her coat pocket, which she did, and tried her best to stay focused on the rest of class. The curiousity made her itchy, and she wanted to know what Barbara had brought her. She could feel that there was a small packet of something, as well as a small lump that Gabby didn't know what it was. She knew that the packet was a Caprisun, but why she was getting juice was beyond Gabby. Finally, she was allowed a break when Mr. Ford let them out 5 minutes early, and she hurried to the girls' bathroom, were she opened the bag and saw a small white envelope made from a peice of paper and sure enough, a kiwi flavored Caprisun. When Gabby opened the envelope, there were two asprine, which Gabby took with the Caprisun, and saw the writing on it. Carefully, Gabby opened it to read what it said.

'Hot bath, asprin, rest. That is it for the next three days. I'll make it up to you, promise. -B'

Gabby smiled around the small yellow straw of the Caprisun. She loved kiwi, and if she were to be honest, she was surpised that Barbara knew these things about her. Then again, she was Oracle before Gabby ever was. She probably knew what she had for breakfast every morning since the second grade. The small packet was finished with as soon as the bell signalling the end of 4th period over, and she shucked her backpack back over her shoulder and went to class. She was happy when she felt the pain go away by the time 5th period was over.

Dinah didn't go to school that day. She was too scared to face Gabby. She didn't want to see the result of their fight the night before when both of them were cloaked in the night behind masks. Dinah was too chicken to see the damage she'd caused in the light of day. Luckily for her, there was snow outside when she woke up, so she could declair it a snow day for her, but sooner rather than later, she'd gotten bored, and she didn't want to stay in the house when people were still running around in the basement working on that thingamuhbob that was so damn important to her aunt. Well, it was important to her too, but even she decided to sleep after she'd gotten home, knowing that soon she would be better. Dinah didn't think her aunt ever left the basement, and she had taken the day off. She hadn't even noticed when Dinah didn't wake up on time for school, nor did she even come upstairs when Dinah had slammed a goon into a wall, causing a lot of racket. (Really it was his fault for even daring to stare at her the way he did, and he was a freak just like her, so he could take the hit she gave him which was lighter than the ones she'd dealt to Gabby the night before.) Dinah wasn't completely worried about all of that. After all, when Dinah gets online, she can be a bit oblivious to everything else around her. There was something else that bothered Dinah, though, something that she couldn't quite put her finger on.

Dinah drove around New Gotham, using up most of her tank of gas as she drove to the mall in Bluhaven and then back down to New Gotham High School. Even doing something as radical as coloring her hair did nothing to help her mood. She was guilty, that was all there was to it. But how was she to know that it was Gabby behind the mask? She had, after all tried her best to just get in and get gone, but her opponent last night had been determined to keep her away from it. Had she known it was Gabby of all people, though, she wouldn't have been so rough with her. She would have just kept pushing her away until Dinah had the components or until Gabby had given up. Thinking back, Dinah wondered how it was that she hadn't realized it was her before hand. It wasn't as if Gabby had done much to hide her voice or even deepen it, like the feral character did. Dinah had done the research. It wasn't hard to figure out who she was knowing her powers and who owned them last. She knew who 'Huntress' really was, and that she worked in some dinky bar in the eastern district. Dinah knew that she wasn't really a threat unless she were to go up against Batgirl, as seen the night before. It was Batgirl that she was really not looking to fight against, Batgirl who she at first thought she'd run into at the credit union the night before. It appeared they had an alliance against her now, the second generation spawns of Batman and Catwoman. Who knew where Gabby fit into that...

Even so, Dinah wanted to see for herself that she hadn't hurt Gabby too badly. Gabby was the one person who ever treated her like she was human, like a true friend without even knowing her. It was Gabby's image that kept her sane within the walls lined with screaming metahumans and wannabe villians. They may be enemies now, but one day soon, they won't have to be, and she wanted that. She wanted a normal friendship with Gabby, and if she were honest with herself, Dinah wanted more than just a friendship with her. Dinah took in a deep breath from her seat in the New Gotham High School parking lot, and then she forced herself outside of it when she heard the bell signalling the end of class ring. She waited patiently next to the bus she had first seen Gabby in the day before, and wasn't disappointed when about three minutes later, Gabby walked out of the building. She was limping, even though Dinah could tell she was trying to hide it. And if the guidence councelor guy (she'd long forgotten his name) standing just outside watching her was anything, Dinah could see why Gabby was pretending to be alright. Dinah took a few steps closer to Gabby and stopped when she saw the other blonde's eye. It was covered up with fading makeup, but Dinah could still see what she had done with her own hand. She looked down at it in disgust, and then hurried to Gabby before she could make it to the bus.

Dinah was hesitant, but then she reached out and touched Gabby's arm, the one that wasn't rested against the blonde's stomach. The reaction she got wasn't expected, but she understood it. Gabby gasped, jerking her arm away from Dinah and spun, her body defencive and ready to fight with the one good arm. "Whoa, sorry," Dinah said, immediately letting go of the other blonde's arm. She felt ten times worse now, knowing that she was the one making Gabby so scared, so defencive.

"No, I'm sorry." Gabby said. She looked Dinah up and down, and for a fraction of a moment, the telekinetic thought she could see right through her and know who she had been the night before. "You got streaks in your hair. At least I know why I didn't see you at lunch today."

"Heh heh, yeah," Dinah said, nervously touching the dark blue strands that fell over her eyes. There were four other streaks that ran down her back and one that was tucked behind her left ear. She thought it was a good addition, and hoped that the next day she would be even more intimidating so people won't bother talking to her. The more intimidated they were, the further away they got in the hallways, which meant that she didn't have to worry about looking into someone else's mind without permission.

"Your mom gonna be pissed?" Gabby asked. "I know mine would be."

"You mean my aunt? Nah, I think she would find this an amusing 'expression of my unique independance and individuality', or something o like that. She's a shrink and uses words like that. Anyway, that's what she said last time I did this."

"The last time?"

"A few months ago in the summer. It was a bad dye job- turned my hair green for a while. I think she teared with joy when she saw it," Dinah said. She was babbling now, but she didn't want Gabby to notice how she was staring at the eye, and she didn't want to ask, but not asking would suggest something was up. "So uh..." Dinah pointed to her own eye. "What happened?"

"I had a bad karate practice last night. I was distracted and my sensai kicked my ass," Gabby told her. If Dinah hadn't already known the real story, she still wouldn't have bought this one, but she nodded.

"I didn't know you took karate classes."

"It isn't like we told eachother our life stories yet," Gabby said with a small shrug. there was a silence. "That sounded bitchy. I'm sorry, Im just-"

"Must be in pain," Dinah said. When Gabby nodded, she continued, "I wouldn't be so happy either. Come on, I'll drive you home and you can tell me about it... If you want."

"It was pretty humiliating to say the least, so I would rather wait and tell you when I am at a spot in my life where I can laugh about it."

"Let's just hope I'm friends with you then," Dinah said. When she realized what she'd implied, she fought off a blush and looked away. "Car's this way," she murmured. "Were you alone? At lunch?" Dinah asked as they reached the black car that she had driven Gabby home in the night before.

"Yeah, but its alright."

"Why don't you sit with the other members of Straight Gay Alliance?" Dinah asked as she unlocked her door and then pressed the button that unlocked all the doors in her car.

"As you said the other day, they've pretty much formed their group at the womb, and I just didn't feel like tryin' to figure out how to get into it. I go to meetings, sign the petitions, and help out with events, but..." Gabby trailed off. She wanted to say 'but we aren't friends'. Thinking that made her think about Barbara, and what she had said to her. She never really had anyone she could consider a best friend. Since knowing Barbara as Batgirl, and then becoming Oracle, they had a connection that was different from any other, and they were an interesting couple of besties.

"I hear that," Dinah said. Dinah then got into the car after watching Gabby. There was much she seemed to want to say, but Dinah knew why she didn't just say them. As she reached back for a coat she left in the car and bundled it up for the front seat, she thought to herself that the story of how Gabby came to be part of Batgirl's life must have been an interesting one, and she couldn't wait for the moment where they could talk about that sort of thing, where she could tell Gabby all about where she'd been. Maybe Gabby and her COULD one day look back on the night before and laugh about it, as well as this masqurade they are playing together at that very moment.

Gabby also got into the car after Dinah had put a coat in the front seat, rested against the back like a pillow. Gabby wasn't sure if Dinah just knew or only guessed that her back needed it. She sighed when she sat down and closed the door behind her. She wasn't sure what the pain medication was that Barbara had given her, but she was sure they weren't over the counter, becuase they were fast acting and she hadn't hurt for the rest of the day unless someone bumped into her like they had in the hallway just after school. The pain in her arm was subsiding, but she wasn't sure for how long.

There was a silence between the two blondes as Dinah made her way towards Gabby's house. There was no grand detour, and part of Gabby was saddened by that, as she wanted to spend more time with Dinah, but at the same time, the more she stayed off the roads, the safer she felt. She also had a feeling it was a good idea to stay home and rest, not just because of her injuries, but because of her mother's suspitions as of late. Even as Dinah got them to less than a mile from her home, Gabby didn't know what she was going to tell her mother. Seeing as she already told her the grand story about Dinah, she doubted that she could get away with using the karate classes tale with her. It was bad enough that Dinah didn't even look too convinced by it, which should have told Gabby to stop using it.

Dinah left Gabby to her thoughts, mostly because she was afraid of her own words somehow giving herself away. She wanted to badly to tell Gabby that it was her last night, her who had hurt the other girl and how sorry she was, but she couldn't. Not yet. Maybe when she was normal, but she wasn't sure she could handle losing her friendship so soon after gaining it, knowing who she really is and who she had been for her all of her teenaged life. Her heart thudded nervously in her chest at the thought, and decided to keep quiet. When she pulled onto Gabby's curb, she saw that another car's taillights were just going off, signalling that someone had just gotten home as well.

"No," Gabby groaned. She looked to Dinah almost helplessly and sighed. "I'll see you tomorrow. Thank you for the ride." Gabby then got out of the car, and Dinah watched as another blonde woman with straightened hair walked up to her. She could only be Gabby's mother. The two looked so much alike. The older woman didn't say anything to Gabby, and Dinah was surprised to see her walking up to the car and motioning for her to roll down the window. Dinah did so, mostly out of curiousity.

"Are you Gabby's new girlfriend Dinah?" Gabby's mother asked as Dinah turned down the radio.

"Uh-" Dinah said, bewildered. She hadn't expected that one. Behind the woman, Dinah saw Gabby wince. Knowing what her new friend's hobby really was, she could imagine the lies she had to tell for staying up and staying out so late at night, and since she didn't want her friend to be grounded for the rest of her life (and as a way to help make it up to the other girl for the injuries she caused to help ease her guilt), Dinah nodded. "Yeah. Sorry, I'm not... out, so it being said aloud like that surprised me," Dinah told the older woman.

"You're pretty." The woman looked back at Gabby. "She's very pretty!" She laughed when Gabby put her head in her palm, hiding her eyes and her emberessment.

Dinah smiled, amused. "Thank you."

"Gabby hasn't really told me much about you. I only knew she was dating anyone a couple of nights ago. Would you like to stay for dinner?"

At this, Gabby's head shot up in horror. Whatever she'd told her mother, Gabby was about to step deeper into the hole she'd created and if she didn't play her cards right, she would sink them further. "Er- I'll have to ask my aunt. She's..."

"Gabby warned me that she was strict, but seeing as she let you dye your hair like that, I have a feeling she's lightened up a little bit, right?"

"Well... yes, I suppose so." She looked to Gabby who looked as if she was a step away from waving about and mouthing 'no don't!'

"Come on inside. I just got home myself, and its only," Gabby's mother checked her watch, "3:45, so it won't be for at least another hour yet. That should give you enough time to call your aunt, get some homework done, you know?" Though it wasn't said, Dinah was sure Gabby's mother wanted to add 'you know, get your story straight, pun not intended'.

"Uh... Okay." Gabby seemed to go slightly pale, and Dinah tried her best to say with her face that she was sorry.

Dinah rolled the window back up and killed the engine. When she got out of the car, Gabby's mom was walking towards the house, but paused, looking at Gabby almost in horror. She hurried back to Gabby and took her face into her hand. She must not have really registered her daughter's face before, since she was more concerned with Dinah then.

"What happened?" the woman asked. Gabby backed away, and slowly took her arm off of her stomach as if to make sure her mother didn't notice that too.

"Its not what you think. My lip cracked and bled from the cold blisters," Gabby lied.

"And the eye?"

"Its no big deal, Mom. You know how clumbsy I am," Gabby said. "I fell."

"And hit your eye?"

"Yes."

Gabby's mother leaned in to her daughter, looking her in the eyes, a hard and dangerous look in her own. Then she murmured something that Dinah just barely caught. "You're lucky there's company. Very, very lucky."

Gabby swallowed nervously. Dinah felt bad for her. She walked a few steps towards them, and as if to show that they were just having a mother/daughter greeting, Gabby's mother kissed Gabby on the cheek. Dinah smiled at the woman when she looked her way, and the two teens followed after her inside. Gabby sighed. She knew she was caught, and she knew that her mother was going to tear Dinah apart. She also knew that she was never going to be ungrounded, and that Dinah will most likely never speak to her after this.