Game Day Part 2
Previously on The Hive:
"Look Kor, I hate to break it to you. Once the hive knows you, it's very hard to get them to un-know you. Trust me, we've all tried. They somehow get a hold of all your secrets, and send them out into the world wide web before you could even take your next breath"
"What happened?" "Nothing, I-I hit my fist against the wall after getting frustrated with something. I just bruise easily, that's all" He knew she wasn't telling him what really happened, she kept looking at the ground instead of at him.
Both girls gasped as the items fell out, Bee quickly went to the floor and grabbed her things; Kory went down to help her, one item, in particular, catching her eye: an unopened pregnancy test box.
"Hear ye, hear ye! I've got a proclamation that you're just itching to hear. Looks like our very own Queen Bee isn't so perfect after all, I have a photo as proof showing that Queen Bee may be carrying a little bundle of joy!" A picture of Bee buying a couple of pregnancy tests pop up on the screen, Dick took a look back at Vic whose face was unreadable. "And you'd think our Queen would have told her King the big news, perhaps she might be embarrassed to have bedded not one but two men and doesn't know who the father is, who's the baby daddy Bee? Not so perfect now, are we?" All eyes were on Bee, one of the cheerleaders handed her the phone and she sucked in a breath before beginning to sob and run out the quiet gymnasium, letting the slam of the door fill the room.
The Hive: Don't you just love drama, I do. In a glass full of tension, a pinch of betrayal sprinkled with tears and topped off with a secret. Sounds delicious, right? In this chapter, I'm giving my lovely group of followers a drink that makes their mouth water, and who better to serve it than Gotham's Elite?
Vic stared down at the phone screen as the silence continued to loom in from around him. "Pregnant? She's pregnant?" He thought to himself, his mind slowing drifting away to what the possibility would be if she was. His thoughts surrounded him, how would his dad react? Would he kill him? Kick him out? What about her parents? He knows Bee's dad would definitely kill him for getting his princess pregnant at 15.
"Silence…Silence!" Principal Wilson yelled over the microphone, Vic hadn't even noticed when everyone began to chatter amongst themselves. He even heard a couple of the football players muttering "Looks like Vic's gonna be a baby daddy?" And "You kidding'? You saw what The Hive said, it's probably not even his," His heart dropped unsure of what to do or where to go. "Psst, Vic!" Wally waved his hand in front of his face, Vic stood still in his daze. "He's not coming out of it, Boss." He heard Wally said. It's like everything was moving in slow motion, the stares, the giggles, Dick and Wally in front of him waving their hands. Hell, he didn't even know that Dick left the podium.
"Shit, we'll probably have to carry him to the locker room," Dick stated. "You've got to be shitting me. The dude ways almost 200 pounds—" "—Wally," Dick warned. "I'm just saying what we're all thinking," He interjected. "You grab one arm and I'll grab the other. We'll just have to be his crutches," They both grabbed Victor's arms and moved him to the exit where the boys' locker room was located. They managed to push through the door, and get to the locker room without hurting Vic too much. "Ugh, how much farther?" Wally whined.
"Just a couple more steps," Dick stated, they continued. Finally, they sat him down and sighed in relief. "Dude, next- time. Warn us- when you go - into shock mode," Wally said still trying to catch his breath. Vic still didn't move a muscle or even let out a retort to Wally's joke. He stared at the ground, his eyes still bulging out of his head, and mouth still open from the shock of the message. "He's definitely out of it," Wally said as he waved his hand in front of his face.
"Anything we could use to snap him out of it," Dick asked. Wally put his hand under his chin and thought to himself, an idea suddenly popped into his head. "I got it! Gar used to do this to Vic if something was bothering him. Wally put his finger in his mouth, sucked on it a bit, and pulled it out, his spit gleaming under the light. Dick squirmed, "Ugh, just do what you have to do." He smiled and inserted the finger inside his ear cavity, in response, Vic squirmed as well.
"Ew, dude. That's nasty, I don't know where yo mouth has been," He wiped his ear on his shoulder, "Vic!" Wally grabbed him a bear hug. "We thought we lost you, buddy!" Vic pushed Wally off of him. "You okay, bro?" Dick asked taking a seat on the opposing bench. Vic rubbed his ear again, "Okay? Do I look like I'm okay? My girlfriend is pregnant!" He managed to push Wally off of him and put his head in his head. "Technically, the Hive said there was a possibility she could be pregnant—" Vic glared at him and Wally put his hands up in defense.
"I'm just stating the facts," Dick rolled his eyes and fixed the shades on his face. "Ignoring Wally, what are you gonna do Vic?" "What do you mean?" "I mean if she is pregnant…are you gonna tell your parents and keep it?" Vic blinked a couple of times. "What about adoption?" Dick continued. He blinked a couple of times again, "Oh great, we lost him! Hang on buddy, I gotcha!" He put his finger back in his mouth, Vic pushed him off the bench. "I'm just thinking Wal, no need to trip." He sighed to himself, "I got to support whatever Bee decides to do. If she wants to keep it, I'm not gonna go against her," Wally and Dic nodded.
Vic laid down on the bench, "wow, a kid. I didn't think this was gonna happen for a while and now—" "If she is pregnant, I call dibs on Godfather," Wally interrupted earning another scowl from Dick and Victor. "Too soon?" He sighed again and held his hand over his head. "Bee had our whole future planned out, we'd be on the homecoming court for all four years, she'd get into her school on a full-ride cheerleading scholarship and me into mine on a football scholarship. The schools would be maybe 100 to 200 miles apart, we'd get an apartment once we were done with school. She'd work at her Dad's law firm and I'd be a professional ballplayer. Kids were definitely not in the picture until…13 years from now."
Wally poked his head up, "Can I just say something here—" "What Wal?" "You guys have way too much time on your hands," Vic got up from his spot and reached out to strangle him. "For once, I agree with him." Dick stated, Vic rolled his eyes "Screw you guys, at least I have a set plan for my future…and a girlfriend," He flipped them off. They chuckled a bit, then quieted down again. "Vic, what if the kid isn't yours?" Wally asked. Vic snapped his head to him, "What the hell are you talking about Wally?"
"It's just that The Hive, um, said that she may be pregnant by someone else—"Wally gulped "are you saying my girlfriend of three years would cheat on me?" Vic got up from his seat and headed to strangle Wally again. "I-I'm just saying that why would The Hive do that? Imply that there was someone else, not unless they had some knowledge of the gossip they were given." "We all know that the Hive will twist the tale around to make it seem worse than what it is. We've seen what they can do, so I don't give a rat's ass about another man. When I know that my Bee would never do that!" He huffed to himself as he stared Wally down, who looked like a deer in headlights the way he was staring back up at Vic.
Wally drew in a breath, "I'm sorry man," he whispered, Vic turned away and headed for the door. "Hey, where you going? We have to get back to the gym!" Dick yelled. "To find Bee and get to the bottom of this," He yelled back. Wally and Dick shared a look before following after him.
Bee sat inside the bathroom stall with her knees covering her face. She quietly sobbed to herself, wiping her tears now and then. The sound of her sobs masking the dripping of the faucet. Drip. Drip. The door opened with a slight crack, Bee stopped her sobbing and held in her breath; "Bee?" She heard a familiar voice ask, she didn't answer back and bit her lip to keep from letting out another sob.
"It's me, Kory." Kory said softly, Bee wiped at her eyes again. "Leave me alone Kory or you'll c-catch a case of slut-itis," she sniffled. She could see Kory stand in front of the bathroom stall she was in, "I'm your friend Bee," another creak sounded, she could hear the stomping of another individual in the room. "Jinx," Kory said, "Hey, Kory." Karen compared the difference in their footwear, Kory wearing lilac converse and Jinx wearing the standard cheerleading uniform white tennis shoes. "Karen Diane Beecher, get your ass out here right now!" She stamped her foot, "I'm not leaving this stall, go away!" Karen yelled back.
She could picture Jinx rolling her eyes, and Kory standing there patiently with her arms folded a concerned look adorned on her face. It's almost as if they were her two sides of her conscience: the bad and the good. Kory being the good and patient side, while Jinx being bad and rebellious. "I'm gonna give you to the count of three to get your perky ass out of that stall," Silence. "One," Karen stayed in her spot, "Two." "Jinx maybe we should—" "—Kory." Jinx warned. After a silent moment, Jinx moved her feet away from the stall, Bee sighed in relief.
"Three!" Before she could register everything going on, Jinx kicked the bathroom stall open and grabbed Bee by her arms. Bee planted her feet firmly on the ground, trying to add some friction to herself and keep herself from moving any further. "Kory, I-I'm gonna need some help!" Jinx grunted, "But—" "Kory!" Jinx grunted again, Kory held onto the back of Jinx's body and tugged hard. Kory's strength surprised them all as they all came tumbling to the ground, and landed in a small pile. Jinx huffed in shock, "Damn girl, what do you bench 220 pounds?" She asked, Kory, blushed slightly. Bee quickly got up and dusted herself off before heading towards the stall. "Oh no, you don't" Jinx grabbed her ankle causing Karen to drop to the floor with a small shriek from her mouth. "Kory block the door!" Jinx sat on top of Karen as Kory headed to the restroom entrance and stood to block the door.
"Get your ass off me, Jinx!" Jinx shook her head. After a couple of struggles to move Jinx off of her, Bee began to cry again. Kory faltered in her position unsure as to whether or not to comfort Bee. Jinx raised her eyebrow at her, "Please get off me so I can escape in shame," She sniffled. "Bee, where the hell are you gonna go?" "I was planning to go to Paris, change my name, and start a new life. Once my parents find out the news, I'm screwed. I might as well leave while I still have my money and in style," Jinx rolled her eyes again, "You're being dramatic," "I'm being practical," "What were you gonna tell Victor?" Kory interjected, Bee wept quietly, "I was gonna send him a handwritten letter informing him of my departure, of course, I'm not gonna tip him off as to where I went—" "—Hate to break it to you but, you always talk about Paris. That'd be one of the places he'd look," Jinx explained. Bee stiffened then muttered to herself, "Curse my need for a fabulous voyage,".
"And what about the possible baby that you could be carrying?" Kory mentioned, "Kory's right Bee. What if you jetted off to Paris and found out you were pregnant? Then what? Raise it on your own, in a new city and with no family to reach you guys?" Bee rolled her eyes and laid there in silence, answering both of their questions. "Bee, it seems that you'll have to take the test sooner rather than later," Kory explained. Jinx looked down at Bee with wide eyes, "What do you mean?" "Kory don't—" "Kory spill!" Jinx talked over Bee who humphed again.
"Bee was planning to take the test before Dick's party, right after the game." Jinx still looked a bit confused, "Bee has a pregnancy test in her bap, that's how she was gonna take it—" "—You've been carrying a pregnancy test around school?" "I couldn't leave it at my house, you know how nosy the maids can be. They'd tell my mom, who'd tell my dad, who—" "Yeah, yeah. Dad kills you and Vic, we got it. Kory, can you grab Bee's bag from the locker room. It's across the hall and to the left. When you come back, knock so we know it's you," Kory nodded then opened the door and scurried out.
As Jinx and Bee waited, a knock came at the door. Jinx lifted her eyebrow and got up to open the door "Kory must be a secret track star cause that was—" She opened the door to see Vic with an unreadable expression on his face, along with Dick and Wally who were hanging back. "Fast," Jinx gulped and turned to Bee, "Uh Bee, it's for you." Bee lifted her head and her eyes opened in shock.
"How the h-hell did you find me here?" She stammered backing away to the resting bench against the wall. Vic pushed past Jinx, "Hey!" The boys followed in after. Wally took a look around the restroom in awe, "So, this is the girls' restroom. Nice," He whistled. Vic ignored his comment, "I know that you come here for your fixing makeup routine during this time," He sarcastically stated. She squinted her eyes at him, "We paid a freshman 20 bucks to tell us where you went," Dick stated as Wally shrugged. "Well, now that you found me. Get the hell out of here!" She pointed her well-manicured fingernail to the door. "Nuh-uh! This is my problem too! I'm staying right here" He stomped his foot in protest. Bee got up and pointed a finger into Victor's chest with such force, he didn't move an inch. "So now, you consider our potential kid to be a problem?" Jinx, Wally, and Dick all shared the same looks.
"Um, we're just gonna keep watch outside," Jinx uncomfortably laughed, with Dick and Wally quickly nodding their heads in agreement. They dashed out the door, leaving Vic and Bee all alone together. Bee took a seat on the bench and crossed her arms with her nose turned up. "Bee," She ignored him. "Bee, can you—" "—Sorry Bee, can't come to the phone right now please leave a message after the beep," She stared him straight in the eye. "Beep," her mouth seethed. Vic drew in a hard breath, "Fine. If Bee's not available, can I at least talk to Karen?" She didn't protest, a small tear running down her face. "Bee, I didn't mean to call it a problem. It's just…when were you gonna tell me that you may be pregnant?" He got down to her eye level and wiped away the tears falling.
She sniffled, "I wasn't gonna tell anyone. Neither was the Hive…they told me I had to come up with something in 72 hours or else they would leak the picture. I guess the time was up," Bee wiped her nose again and left her hand gripped to the bench pillow. Victor touched it softly and looked back up at her. "But for me? I thought-I thought we were closer than that? We could tell each other anything," a couple of more tears fell. "I didn't want you to be mad. I-I thought that if you found out I was pregnant or maybe. You'd l-leave me," Vic raised an eyebrow at her, "Why the hell would you think that," She shrugged. "I don't know, I-I was just scared."
He nodded, "You don't think I am too?" She turned to meet his eyes, they stared at each other for a couple of moments having a silent conversation that only they could understand. He put his hand to her cheek and she laid her face against it, a couple of tears still falling. "Bee, we need to promise each other. No more secrets, okay?" Vic removed his hand from her cheek and stuck out his pinky. Bee giggled and wiped her nose again, "Vic, aren't we a little old for a pinky promise?" "We're never too old for pinky promises," Bee rolled her eyes at the goofy smile spreading across his face and linked her pinky with his.
Her pinky was much smaller than Vic's though somehow, they still fit together like two different puzzle pieces that matched. He brought her up from her seat and kissed her on her lips, she gratefully accepted and fell into his arms. He put both his hands on her face and continued to peck those sweet glossy lips that he missed for a couple of hours. Her soft lips ran over his, lingering on his mouth, and embracing the clamp from their lips in sync; never wanting this moment to end between them. While that moment continued as a sweet evanescence, a thought lingered at the back of their minds: was there another person involved?
Meanwhile outside, Jinx and Dick stood there with their backs against the wall, as Wally stood guard at the door. "You think they'd make good parents, hypothetically?" Jinx asked looking at both Dick and Wally for an answer. Dick rubbed the back of his neck, "I don't know honestly, I mean who's thinking about having kids at our age?" "True, but if they are gonna have one. We have to support them—" "—100%. Although, I've never really babysat a baby, let alone held one." Dick explained, "Oh yeah, I forgot moneybags Bruce adopts kids above the ages of 8." She joked, Dick chuckled a bit. Wally looked off into space with a faraway look on his face, "Whatcha thinking about there Wal?" Jinx waved her hand in his face.
"I'm thinking about how cool it'd be if I was the baby's favorite uncle," Jinx looked at Wally like he was stupid and Dick shook his head in disapproval. Kory walked up to the three clutching tightly onto Bee's backpack and took a look at them. "What are you two doing here," Kory asked, "Vic had to check on Karen, we followed him and found them here. What are you doing here, Kory?" Dick asked back, only his tone was a bit more defensive. Kory was about to speak when Jinx interrupted, "Kory was the first one to find out Bee's pregnancy, and had to grab the test from her backpack—" "You knew?" "Who carries a pregnancy test around school?" Wally and Dick said at the same time.
"I knew, however, Bee made me swear not to say anything. So before you go pointing fingers" she snapped her head in Dick's direction, "It wasn't my place to tell any of you, her business." Dick grunted to himself as Kory fixed the backpack in her hand and turned back to Jinx. "I also stopped by the nurses' office to pick up two more tests, for accuracy," Jinx nodded, though made a mental note to talk to Kory or Dick to ask him about the hostility between them later, but right now they had to focus on Karen's issue. She pushed Wally out of the way, and knocked on the door loudly, "Hey Lovebirds! We got it!" She said as she banged, a couple of moments later, Bee and Vic came out with their hands intertwined.
"Aw," Kory smiled to them, Bee blushed a bit and Vic rubbed his back. "Yeah, yeah. We'll awe later. Right now, you have to pee on the stick," Jinx opened up the backpack and took out an unopened box. Kory holding the other two boxes, then they both handed them over. Vic and Bee shared a look, "Just make sure about the pregnancy," Jinx explained, Bee nodded, took the boxes, and went back inside the restroom stall. Jinx, Kory, Victor, and Dick followed inside, Wally was about to come in after, though Jinx held her hand up in protest, "Nope! You have to keep guard in case anyone wants to come in," "But what if a teacher comes" he whined. "I don't know, make some shit up. Just enough to buy us time," She slammed the door and left Wally there to grovel alone.
The four friends stood outside of the stall anxiously waiting, Jinx held up her watch and counted the seconds going by. Kory counted the clean tiles on the floor, Dick would look between Vic and Kory, though his eyes lingering a bit more on Kory. She'd pop her head up, feeling as if someone was watching her and he turned before she could notice. Vic stared anxiously at the stall, Kory put a gentle hand on his shoulder, he looked at her and they both shared a comforting smile. Bee sat in the stall, staring down at the blue stick in her hand. Her eyes darted between the indicators, negative for not pregnant, and positive for pregnant.
She took in a breath, and let it out. "Whatever happens, Vic's here for you," she thought to herself. They continued to wait, the seconds getting longer and feeling as if minutes passed. Dick bit at his cheek and took a side-eye glance at Kory who was standing there in her funky get-up and laying a comforting hand on Vic's shoulder. She wore striped, brown, straight pants with a chain hanging off of them. A big white sweater with a couple of buttons on them, and lilac shoes to match her stud earring she was wearing. Kory Anders, an interesting creature alright, he thought to himself. Though he couldn't stop taking in her beauty, her kind gestures, and welcoming nature.
Even when he was being cruel, she still managed to talk to him with such poise, and he would come out looking like some pompous ass. When he challenged her, her jade green eyes blinked back at him in innocence that she knows would drive him wild. Her tall exterior loomed over his a bit, loomed over a lot of boys around their age, standing at 5'9-5'10 already and probably won't stop growing anytime soon. He became fascinated with. What's wrong with me, he thought to himself and turned away from her with his nose up. The timer beeped, everyone's hearts dropped. "Okay Bee, it's time," Jinx said, her voice sounding a little shaky at the end. Bee stared back at the blue stick in her hand and brought her hand up to her face in shock.
Gar sat on the floor with his mascot head in his hands as he listened to Brooke Vera scrambling amongst the cheerleaders, "Okay! Okay, let's not panic! The most we can do for Karen and Jinx now is continue to cheer the team on," she's acting like the just died, Gar thought to himself. He took another glance through the mouth hole of his head and saw Terra lightly tapping against the bleachers, while her teammates talked to each other. "Gar!" Brooke yelled, snapping him out of his gaze. "Yes sir- I mean ma'am!" He stood up quickly with a straight posture and put a salute to his head. "Put that down," She gestured, he quickly put it down and relaxed himself a bit.
"You're gonna have to keep the crowd pumped and off this whole Hive mess," "B-but how?" "I don't know, see if the DJ could play a song for you to dance to or jump around the bleachers. I honestly don't care. Right about now, I have to change the formations around a bit because we're missing a couple of people. Okay," Throughout the sentence, Brooke's voice changed from perky to annoyed to stern. He didn't want to make her any stressed than she already was. He looked between her and Terra, who was now talking to one of her guy friends.
Her very attractive guy friend. He glared at the humorous exchange between the two and then back at Brooke who had her hands on her hips, waiting on his response. "You can count on me, Brooke!" He said with a smile on his face. "Good, have fun!" She gave Gar a forceful push in the middle of the gym and blew him a kiss as she directed the cheerleaders to the empty hallway outside. He felt the sweat drop to his head as everyone turned in his direction, anticipating what he was gonna do.
"Okay Gar, you got this. Let's show Terra that you can get down with your bad self or something like that," He sucked his breath in and headed to the DJ Booth, whispered to the DJ the song he wanted to dance to and the Dj nodded in approval. Gar walked back to the middle of the gym and waited for the music to start. More sweat began to drip down his face, "Whatever you do, don't pee yourself" he thought to himself as he got into position. The song "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor, blasted through the speakers, a couple of people began to bob their heads to the music and others took out their smartphones.
Dun, dun, dun, duh, dun dun dun, dun dun, duh
As the beat began to drop, Gar did the moves from the Macarena with a hard force earning laughs from the crowd and swiveled his hips at the end.
Dun, dun, dun, duh, dun dun dun, dun dun, duh
He turned around and did the same moves only this time shaking his butt exaggeratedly to get another laugh from the crowd. They began to cheer him on, he even heard someone whistle. This was gonna be a piece of cake.
Everyone stood still as Bee came out of the restroom, her face looking indescribable. She stared ahead, Vic took the first move and reached out to her, "Aw, honey—" She stopped him from touching her, her eyes continued to look forward "I-I'm—" "—Bee, are you okay?" Kory asked this time, taking a small step forward. Dick and Jinx followed along, concerned looks taking over their faces. Bee shook her head and opened the palm of her hand to reveal the pregnancy test responses. They all cornered around it and gasped. "You're—" "—Oh wow" "Bee, you're—" —I'm not pregnant," the smile on her face grew, Vic repeated after her "You're not pregnant?" She shook her head and he picked her up leaving many kisses on her cheek. "Woohoo! I'm not gonna be a dad!" She giggled, Kory clapped happily while Jinx wiped the sweat off her brow, and Dick patted Victor on the back.
Wally popped his head in, "So, what happened?" "She's not pregnant!" They all said at once, Wally snapped his fingers playfully "Shoot! I really wanted to be an uncle," Vic and Karen glared at Wally in which he replied with his hands up, "I kid, I kid!" He nervously chuckled. "Whew, Bee. I didn't know if whether or not if I should plan on a baby shower," Jinx explained and glanced at Vic's way "Or a funeral," Kory giggled at Vic's pale-faced expression. "You can go ahead and scratch those out of your planner, cause I'm not pregnant!" Bee danced a little bit, shaking her hips from side to side and waving her hands up to the sky, earning a smile on everyone's faces.
"Well, now that that's over. We can all return to the pep rally," Bee's smile faded after Dick says this. "What's wrong, Bee?" "I-I can't go back out there—" "—You're not pregnant, so it's no big deal." He shrugged, Kory and Jinx shared a questioned look as Bee left Vic's arms and began to saunter towards Dick. She wrapped her arms around herself and turned her back away from the group. "You don't get it, Dick, The Hive told everyone that I could be pregnant—" "You could tell them you're not—" "Ha! Who would they believe me?" She turned around, this time her eyes landing on Dick's face with a glazed stare, his eyebrows lifted.
"Or some gossip website that's well-known for spilling secrets and telling the truth?" Bee turned away again, blinking away the tears. He rubbed the back of his neck, "I've been on the blog for a while now, and you get used to the talks about you—" "—You don't get it, Dick" this time Kory spoke up, just above a whisper, her tone surprising everyone, including herself. She looked up at him with her green eyes darkened, and face in discomfort. He furrowed his eyebrows "Kory, no offense, but I know a little bit more about The Hive than you do—" "A girl's reputation is much more fragile than a boy's," She continued, her eyes landing on the yellow tiles plastered on the bathroom floor.
"That's a load of crap Kory," Wally interjected, Dick nodded in agreement. "Please, as if you two yahoos understand any of the shit girls go through. No Uterus, No Opinion," Jinx stood in front of Kory, with her hands on her hips and lips curled inwards. They rolled their eyes, earning another death glare from Jinx, in which Wally coward back a bit. Dick stood with his arms folded, the look of disinterest "Kory's right," Bee began, unfolding her arms and wiping away a stray tear. "My reputation is tainted, thanks to The Hive. I'm now labeled as some slut, Baby Mama, irresponsible. I can't get it back, because that's what'll be stuck to until the rest of the school year passes,"
"Maybe even the rest of your high school life," Wally muttered, everyone glared in his direction. He gave an uncomfortable cough and slide to the corner of the room. Everyone remained quiet, letting the silence thicken in the room and the steering tension curdle. They were back to where they started before- when Bee was taking the test- Kory fiddling with the end of her shirt, Dick giving her casual looks, and sometimes running his fingers through his already messed up hair, Jinx watched the seconds tick by on her watch, Wally examined his fingernails, Vic rubbed Bee's back, and Bee hugged herself. Finally, Wally cleared this throat, causing everyone to look in his direction again, "I think I've got an idea," He stated.
Everyone began to stampede out of the gym heading who knows where, the school day had ended, and some had forgotten the incident before. Though others hadn't, still discussing it amongst themselves as they walked to their lockers. Rachel pulled a stray hair behind her ear, holding her book close to her chest, and letting the oversized cardigan fall off of her shoulders. "Rachel!" She heard a perky voice behind her call out, Rachel didn't even bother to turn around to know who it was. Kole. Kole scampered over to catch up, her breath beginning to pant, "Rachel, you wanna grab a bite to eat? My treat!" She gave a sweet, considerate smile.
Rachel's opposite expression stood at a frown, her phone buzzed in her pocket again, feeling as though it was burning a hole into her thigh. She knew who it was. Another text from him. If she didn't answer or see the messages, then he couldn't do anything to harm her, and that gave her a day of freedom. This was the real world, however, she knew he'd still hit her even if she didn't answer the messages and he'd hit her hard. Her head sped a bit, she stared straight ahead at the exit, trying not to let her emotions show.
"I can't Kole, I-I have to be home." She didn't let any information slip out, she didn't lie, Rachel said to herself. From the corner of her eye, she could see Kole's head bow a bit. "Rachel, you never get to hang out with us? You're always doing homework, or at the library. You can't push off your stuff until—" "No!" Rachel snapped, causing Kole to jump back in shock. Her bright, crystal clear, blue eyes widened at the outburst, Rachel put a hand to her mouth "I-I can't" She moved away from Kole and ran in the other direction away from her. Kole couldn't see her cry, no one could. If she cried, someone would ask her what's wrong, and when they ask her what's wrong, she may let something slip.
Something that could change her life forever, and she couldn't lose another family member, not now. Rachel ran through the nearly empty halls, her tears beginning to spill out, and her book clutched tightly in her fists. "Don't cry Rachel," she whispered as she continued to run. The sound of her black flats hitting the school hallway floors rattled, she ignored the people's confused looks, one teacher yelled for her to slow down, she didn't. Instead, she gave an apologetic look and continued to run to some sort of safety.
Finally, she stopped in the crossroads of the hallway, her eyes constantly looking as to where she could be and think to herself. Her eyes landed on the nook under the staircase, dark enough that people wouldn't notice her crying, and quiet enough to where they couldn't hear her. Rachel pulled her backpack straps on top of her shoulders and walked under the stairs. The tears began to fall, quietly, her eyes blinking them out and her mouth letting out a quiet sob. She wiped her eyes away with the cardigan, noticing the bruises found on her hand, crying coming faster.
Rachel didn't notice the sound of footsteps approaching her, "Rachel?" Her head popped up at the sound of that lustrous voice, Mr. Malchior. She rubbed at her face harder, trying to wipe the tears away, only they continued to spill. He cautiously approached her, taking out a stray handkerchief from his pocket. "Rachel," He softly said, she turned around with her tears wallowing in her eyes and gave her most fake smile. "Hey Mr. Malchior, I-I'm having bad allergies so please don't mind me or the sniffles," She wiped at her eyes again, he held out the handkerchief and gave her a comforting look.
She looked at it, examining the cloth on his hand, a white, clean, and pressed handkerchief from him. Rachel slowly went to grab the handkerchief, laying her hand on top of his and feeling a slight jolt from the warmth that his palms evoked. Her heart began to speed up, her ears turning the slightest of pink, and color rising to her pale cheeks, she took the handkerchief and wiped her face with it. "T-thank you," She muttered, he nodded and put his hands in his pocket. "Rachel, I'm thinking of getting a coffee from this place that I like, would you like to join me?" He smiled, Rachel's ears burned even more. Was he asking her out? No, he's her teacher, it would be illegal.
Still, it's an invite, "Okay," She cracked a small smile earning one back from Mr. Malchior. Another buzz from her phone reminded her of the big problem that leads her to cry in the first place. "Actually, I-I can't," His smile turned into a frown, "Is everything alright?" He stepped closer to her, she stepped back. "It's fine, I-I just have to be home and can't make any stops along the way so—" "What's your mode of transportation?" "Bus, usually or I walk home," She tucked her stray hair behind her hair, he took another look at her, "I can drive you home—" "—Oh no, you don't have to—" "—I want to," He gave her a small pat on her shoulder, the sting of his touch lingering on it once his hand left.
"Besides, that'll give us some time to talk," He gave a small laugh, making her heart flutter and her head spin. She met his dark grey eyes, their chasms reminding her of a full moon, the light that gleamed from the spark of the curtains shined inside and illuminated them into an almost supernatural eclipse. His eyes were ones she never had the chance to see up close She couldn't tell what the look meant, she had never seen it before, it felt vulnerable and almost invasive, yet she found the invasiveness piquing her interest in Mr. Malchior more.
Gar twisted his head off the mascot costume, and let out a sigh of relief. "Aahhh, sweet, fresh, cold air," he lapped in a couple of breaths as he laid his head back against the wall. "Maybe, if I just took a small nap.." He let out a yawn so loud that he drowned out the noise of four girls giggling down the hall wearing lacrosse jerseys and carrying lacrosse gear. One of the girls happened to be the apple of Gar's eye, Terra Markov. She lagged a bit behind her teammates but still engaged in their talking nonetheless.
While the girls continued to giggle with each other, Gar took a big whiff under his armpit and gagged, "Ugh, I reek." He was about to take another whiff when he spotted Terra and her friends coming his way. Gar quickly brushed the wet hair out of his face, wiping the excess sweat with his tiger paw, and fanned away at his armpit. He sat seductively, with his arms hanging off the bench and legs crossed. Though from another perspective, it looked as though Gar was a bit uncomfortable. As if he was constipated.
The girls walked past Gar ignoring him, though Terra seemed to take notice of him and raised her eyebrow at his uncomfortable stance. "Hey, Gar?" She pulled her hair behind her head and gave him a questioning look. "H-Hey Terra," He retracted his arms and began to blush like crazy, the redness spreading around his face. His braces gave a sheer shine under the fluorescent school light and caused her to squint her eyes a bit from their glare.
"Are you okay, you look kind of—" Hot, gorgeous, fantastic, Gar screamed in his head as he squirmed under her look. "Warm. Is that costume getting too hot for you?" She asked getting a little close to him and placing a hand on his forehead. His heart rate began to pick up as her cool fingers lingered against his skin, he got a closer look at the beautiful creature before him. Her hair had little brown pieces twisted in her golden locks, eyes the color of a lukewarm pool, a button nose with a diamond piercing, and tiny freckles sprinkled around her face.
"You're so beautiful," he whispered, Terra removed her hand and looked at him in confusion, "What did you say?" He shook his head and stammered out jibberish trying to find an excuse, "U-um…that-this costume is kind of boiling to have on. Yeah, boiling that's it!" He rubbed his tiger paw behind his head and began to blush harder earning a concerned glance from Terra. "You might want to take off the suit before you have a heat stroke and we'd have to wheel you to the hospital. Then who'd bring the fun to the game?" She gave her usual Terra smile, her smooth lips spreading out to show off a bit of her perfect teeth. "Y-yeah. I w-was just about to take it off and head home to get some rest b-before they need me at the game," He gave her a lovestruck smile in return to hers.
"You were hilarious at the pep rally today. I loved the song you picked, how do you do it?" "D-do what?" "Stand in front of huge crowds and be okay with being silly. I could never do that, I'd fall flat on my butt in embarrassment," She brushed the bangs of her pixie cut out of her face, and hugged her elbow. "I'm sure you'd have been g-great," he said quietly, Terra blushed a bit. "The key is to just be yourself and have fun with yourself. If nobody's laughing with you, you laugh at yourself," He began to get up from his spot, coming face to face with Terra.
He stood a bit taller than her, though it was probably the height from Tito's feet. She took in a breath and looked at Gar for a moment. He did the same, she bit her lip and squeezed her elbow harder. "Gar—" before she could say anything else, her lacrosse teammates called after her. "Terra! Coach wants us on the field for laps in three minutes! Get your butt out here!" "I'll be there in a sec!" She called out.
Gar fell back a bit on his heels, as Terra fixed her jersey. "Well, I guess I'll smell you later dude?" She smirked giving him a small punch on his arm, his arm began to tingle from her touch. "Uh, yeah. Smell ya later," He weakly waved at her as she waved back and turned the corner to the field, leaving Gar alone, once again, in an empty hallway. Gar let out a lovestruck sigh and fell back against the bench with a loud thud. He'll never wash that arm ever again.
"What if I took the fall," Jinx spoke up. "No, Jinx. I couldn't ask you to do that for me. Your reputation—" "—Is already garbage. Everyone already thinks I'm a bitch. Who cares if they think I'm a slut too—" "—I care. You shouldn't let people judge you—" "—and you shouldn't either. But who's parents are gonna kill them if they find out their teenage daughter with the squeaky clean image had a pregnancy scare and had it plastered in the news, denting the pristine family name?" She put her hands on her hips and raised her eyebrows in question.
Bee let out a frustrated sigh, "Me, but—" "—No buts. My parents will most likely ground me, ask me about who I slept with, and put me on birth control immediately. No biggie," she waved a hand away at her. Victor put a comforting hand on Bee's shoulder, "I'm kind of with Bee on this Jinx…this is our mess. We have to find a way to fix it ourselves," "I told you guys. I'm fine with taking the fall. I could care less about what people say. " She explained. "I could be your fall baby daddy, Jinx" Wally raised his eyebrows, Jinx looked at him in disgust.
"As if I would let people think I slept with you," "I'm just saying, I'm great in bed" Dick let out a mocking laugh, "ha! Since when did you lose your v-card and not tell me or Vic?" "He's right, your ass would've bragged the whole time in the locker room, the car, and at the diner. You're still a virgin dude," Victor chimed in, Wally gave them both the finger and sulked away back to his corner. "Okay, back to this scenario. What do you say Bee?" Jinx rubbed her hand on Bee's other shoulder, Bee let out another frustrated sigh.
"You're sure about this?" "Positive. I'll be fine," She gave her a reassuring smile, Bee gave a weak one back. "Fine. Send the blast," Jinx nodded as she grabbed the pregnancy tests out of Bee's hand, and took a picture of them all in her hands. The camera sounded off with a click, she typed "Bee was actually buying pregnancy tests for me, Jinx. I had a wild one-night stand and forgot to have protected sex. She was being a good friend and buying them for me cause I was embarrassed. Don't bring her into my mess," she typed in and pressed the send button to the Hive.
"And send," everyone let out a sigh of relief they didn't know they were holding in. Kory sat back in disbelief, they looked out for each other in different ways. Jinx was taking the blame for Bee's oopsie, and everyone seemed to be okay with this. Jinx didn't care about her reputation being tarnished, she cared the Bee's was still intact. She didn't know as to whether or not that was a stupid choice or a brave one. "I don't know about you guys, but I want to get a burger from Bookie's" Wally's voice interrupted Kory's thoughts, as he rubbed his tummy.
"All this fake baby stuff is making me hungry, I could go for a burger at Bookie's too," Victor agreed. "Ugh, you football players and food. I swear you guys eat 2,000 burgers and not gain one pound. While we girls have to watch our figure and work off the 'extra calories', this shit sucks." "Jinx, you're the main one who's eating a double bacon cheeseburger, with fries and a shake, and you still don't gain weight. So whatever," Bee put a hand in the air to dismiss her, Kory giggled.
Everyone's phone pinged interrupting their conversation, no one picked anything up. "Who wants to read it?" Dick asked. No one said anything, the phones pinged again, they let their silence linger in the air as they waited for their phones to stop alerting them. "I-I'll do it," Vic spoke up, taking his phone out of his pocket and opening the message from The Hive.
The Hive: So looks like our two favorite BFFs have been keeping a secret from us all. It was Jinx who had the pregnancy scare. That's right scare. As in bitch isn't pregnant and our Queen Bee never was. Bee was being a great bestie by buying her pregnancy tests for her BFF and taking the fall. It seems that we all owe our Queen Bee an apology, sorry Bee. Hugs and Kisses, you know I didn't mean any harm. Now for Jinx, shame on you for having your BFF be labeled the school slut and not saying a thing. It's funny how friendships work these days. Anyways, that's all I have. For now. It's game day and I'm the referee. Stay tuned.
Bee grabbed Jinx in for a hug, letting a couple of tears spill from her eyes and whispering thank you. Jinx rubbed her back, while everyone else stayed back and watched in relief. "So…Bookies?" Wally asked, they all shared the same look. He gave a wide-tooth smile, "Fine, but I'll be wanting a salad with fries on the side after this field day—" "—Not a burger Bee?" "—Please girl, I have to watch this figure. I'm not throwing up on the field in this," Jinx laughed putting her arm over Bee's shoulders as they headed for the door. Wally, Dick, and Victor followed after, Kory stayed back watching them go. Bee stopped in her tracks, "Kory? You coming?" Kory looked up in shock, "Oh, I wouldn't want to intrude—"
"—Girl, please. You're a part of this group whether you like it or not," Victor stated, everyone, nodded, except Dick who nodded hesitantly. "You sure?" "C'mon Kory! It'll be fun! We talk shit and stuff at this diner. Nobody knows us, and we're just chilling," Wally explained. They all, except for Dick, looked at her with pleading looks. She giggled, "Okay. I'd like to see the fuss over these burgers you all are raving about," "Woo! Red's joining us!" Wally put his arm around her shoulders and dragged her to Victor's car. Dick followed closely behind with an unfamiliar look on his face, while Jinx, Vic, and Bee hung back laughing at the scene.
"So you've all known each other since the fifth grade?" Kory asked as she munched the last of her fries. They all sat at a booth in the back, three to a seat. Vic, Bee, and Dick on one side, Kory, Jinx, and Wally on the other. Vic sat with his arm around Bee, drinking his chocolate milkshake, Bee would steal a sip now and then when Vic wasn't looking. Dick ate his sandwich, taking a couple of glances across at Kory who had a plethora of food in front of her. A strawberry milkshake, bacon cheeseburger, fries, and a slice of pie. She had already finished her 2nd milkshake, dipping the fries in the remainder of its contents, ate most of her cheeseburger, and bit off a piece of her apple pie.
It amazed everyone as to someone's who's so lanky and tall ate all that food without so much as her stomach bulging from her funky pants. "Dick and I have known each other since the third grade. Isn't that right Dickey Boy," Wally clicked his teeth at Dick, he rolled his eyes. "Sadly. I've been stuck with him I was 8," "You know you love me," Wally batted his eyelashes away. Kory let out a loud burp, that nearly shook the whole restaurant. That's an exaggeration, still, it was a really loud burp that caused the other's ears to ring.
She blushed furiously at the different looks her friends shared: disgusted, impressed, and shock. "You know for such a little lady, you have a big appetite," "Oh yes when I'm hungry, I tend to eat more than most girls my age do. My family refers to it as me having 'nine stomachs'," "If there were ever an eating contest, my money's on Kory," Wally interjected. Jinx waved away his comment in annoyance "To answer your question, Kory, yeah. We all knew each other for a while, Dick, me, Wally, Bee, Vic, Rachel, and Gar—" "—Why don't you guys hang out anymore?" Kory asked, Wally's fork dropped on the table, making a loud clunk sound.
They all exchanged looks with each other, Kory's cheek began to tint a bit from the embarrassment of asking such a dumb question to her group of friends. Vic cleared his throat, "W-wow, would you look at the time. We better pay the check and get going before coach murders us right y'all?" They all nodded furiously, falling out of their seats one by one and heading to the hostess section to pay. Kory sat there with the look of shock lingering on her face, "Did I say something wrong?" She whispered before grabbing her things and following behind them. They all crowded by the hostess table exchanging a series of whispers with each other. "Shut up, shut up. She's heading this way," Kory heard Jinx say a bit louder than a whisper causing everyone to hush the entire conversation.
"So, Kory…will we see you at the game?" Wally asked, Dick, elbowed him in the arm "Ouch! What was that for?" "Don't pay any attention to them, Kory, we wanted to see you at the game tonight and maybe Dick's party afterward—" "—Uh—" "Shut up Grayson, nobody's asking for your opinion on this," Kory fiddled with the end of her sweater, "I don't know. I have a lot of homework to do and may have to help my uncle with—" "—Kory, it's the 1st game of the year! You haven't experienced high school fully unless you went to an American Football Game," Vic explained, Bee patted his chest in encouragement. "Yeah, and if you come…VIP seats from yours truly," "She means the closest seats to the cheerleaders so we can talk and stuff," Jinx reiterated Bee's statement, as she inspected the pink nail polish on her nails.
"They'll even throw you a shirt!" "Um, I—" "—Look, guys, if she doesn't wanna come, she doesn't have to come. That's probably not her scene," Dick stood in front of her shaking his hands in disapproval, and for some reason, Kory felt that last sentence sounded like a challenge from the young superstar. It seemed as though he was taunting her more than anything, Kory rolled her eyes and pushed Dick to the side "I'll go," Kory said folding her arms, Dick's eyebrows raised in surprise while the rest of the gang cheered. "Alright Red! Let me tell you, you won't regret this!" Wally picked her up and spun her around, Kory began to giggle. "He's right Kory. The first game is always the most fun, we have so many things going on and you'll get to see us all in action," Jinx stated as she typed something in her phone.
Kory's phone buzzed, she raised an eyebrow in confusion. " After the game, we go to Bee's house to get ready before the party and have a sleepover afterward. We'd really like it if you came," Wally put Kory down, Kory looked down at her feet, "That seems—" "-We're not taking no for an answer, so get your cute butt into gear and we'll see you there girl. Do you need a ride home?" Kory shook her head furiously, she didn't want them to see where she lived and instantly took pity on her surroundings. It's bad enough that the already popular kids in school were taking her under their wing and driving her around. She didn't want them to think that she was some sort of charity case they had to invest in.
Bee gave her a small hug before heading out of the diner, pulling Vic in toll. "They're probably gonna make out all over Vic's 'baby', ugh, I better stop them before they go into huge slobber fest," Jinx followed behind them, putting on her pink sunglasses, and leaving the diner. "See ya Red, I'll make sure to blow ya a kiss when I walk out onto the field," Wally gave her a playful wink, she smiled and waved as he speeded out the door after the others. Now, it was only her and Dick left who hadn't said anything since she agreed to come to the game.
"This is the last time I'm warning you, Kory, stay away from us," He gripped the inside of his palms and coldly stared down Kory. She gulped, but brushed off her nervousness and stood tall, bracing herself as to what she was about to say next. "You don't own me, Dick. Why do you want me to away from you and your friends so badly?" He clenched his jaw, "I'm trying to save you—" "From good people and good food. I'm not sure what the problem is that you have with me but whatever it is." She turned her back away from him, "Get over it," Dick let out a low growl, taking one last glance at Kory before putting his hands up in defeat and pushing out the door with a hard force.
She heard the door slam, causing her heart to pound hard inside her. "U-um, how much?" Kory asked as she took out her wallet, the hostess blinked at her in boredom. "The dude with the sunglasses paid for your meal," "He did?" "Yeah," she shrugged then went back to playing games on her phone. Kory turned to the door where Dick once was, "You're beginning to confuse me, Dick Grayson," Kory thought to herself before hesitantly putting her wallet back in her bag and heading out the door on her way to the bus stop.
Rachel sat silently in Mr. Malchior's vintage station wagon as he tapped his thumbs against the steering wheel. Now and then, she'd take a small look at him in which he gave one in return causing the blush on her cheeks to grow. Mr. Malchior cleared his throat as he looked in the top-view mirror at the cars behind him. "So Rachel, are you planning on going to the football game tonight?" "No, I'm not a big fan of sports. I'll most likely be in my room drinking tea, and rereading some of Poe's work," She explained, Mr. Malchior chuckled "You seem to have quite the interest in Edgar Allen Poe, may I ask why?" Rachel shrugged.
"I just think that he has this misunderstood darkness in his work that people often connect with a madness, and only a few understand what his work actually refers to," "Interesting theory, I haven't heard that one before," he turned on his turn signal to the right, looked both ways before getting into a different lane. "I'm thinking about organizing a poetry slam to highlight some of the students' work and I wanted you to be one of them," "Me?" "Mhmm, you have an excellent gift in writing Rachel. You always put some sort of spell on your papers, pulling me in and taking me along a journey. I think if you kept at it, you may be able to get a scholarship to the summer writing exposition—" "—The summer writing exposition? Where a ton of famous authors went? Rowling, Parker, Eulberg, and Riordan?" Rachel broke free from her monotone exterior, not being able to contain her excitement.
Mr. Malchior couldn't help but chuckle at her, she fell back into her seat embarrassed. "S-sorry," "Don't apologize, Rachel, it's quite the exposition. I've only been there a handful of times and based on my observations. It would be a great opportunity for you," "Y-you think so?" Her face started to warm up, Mr. Malchior snuck a glance at Rachel's demeanor and smiled to himself. "Of course. I'm still working out things for the poetry night, but with your parent's permission, I'd like to hold some special afternoon sessions and revise your work before we send them to the summer exposition," Her heart sank at the mention of parents permission, her father would never agree to send her halfway around the wall to some writing camp and her mother, let's not even discuss her. He took notice of her current state in concern, "Everything alright Rachel? If you're not comfortable with the—"
"No-no, it's not that. It's just…it dawned on me that this could be a huge opportunity," She lied. "I'm sure you'll get it. I enjoy your work and others will too. Don't ever doubt yourself, Rachel," He pulled up on the sidewalk by Rachel's house. She sucked in her breath and swallowed in her home. It looked so peaceful and welcoming on the outside, with the green plants decorating the outside, pretty porches that her dad's coworkers would take care of while he was away on business. The grass remained green from the sprinklers spritzing across the lawn, she remembered when her mom lived there and they'd lay across the field staring up at the clouds, holding hands, and laughing.
However, all that glitters is not gold. On the inside, it was a burning hell that she'd been trying to escape. Inside were slum lords smacking her across the ass for a turn with her, whores laid across them with flimsy material leaving the mind to the imagination, beer bottles scattered all over the ground, her dad and his coworkers loudly talking over a game of poker, sounds of harsh whipping across her back when she gave even a glance of distaste to him and his friends, sounds of moans from different women who laid in his bed. If she got into this summer exposition, it would be a chance for her to escape her father's grasp and get a chance to breathe.
A chance for her to heal. "Rachel?" Her thoughts were interrupted by the concerned sound in Mr. Malchio's voice. "Is everything alright, you've been staring at your house in silence for a minute," "Um yeah, everything's fine. Just a little o-overwhelmed with everything happening today," She began to collect her things and get out of the car, "Th-thank you Mr. Malchior for, well, you know," He waved a hand in dismissal "It's fine Rachel if you ever need anything," hIs eyes met her again, that invasive feeling filling her once again. "I mean anything Rachel, please call me," He grabbed the napkin out of his glove compartment and took the pen out of his pocket then wrote down his number, handing it to her as the ink began to dry.
Her fingers touched the tips of his, a slight tingle lingering between their touch. She moved her hand away and nodded. "Bye Rachel," He said as he pulled up the window and began to drive off, Rachel waved her fisted hand at him. Her fingers clamping onto the napkin for dear life and trying not to let the wind take it away. Rachel took another glance at the perfect house that she lived in on the outside, then back to where she could see a speck of Mr. Malchior driving off. She took in a deep breath and headed up the stairs awaiting her father's wrath for being late.
Rachel twisted the knob with a shaking hand and opened the door to find her father standing there with his arms folded, expression unreadable. "H-hey dad," She tried to give him a sincere smile only it showed off as a nervous one. He let out a grunt and threw a lacy red ensemble at her, it smacked her in the face and fell to the floor "put that on, then get in the car. We've got work to do, five minutes," that he turned around and headed outside to the car. She looked down at the red lacy lingerie twisted on the floor, her mouth twisting in anger, and a hot tear running down her face. The napkin still clutched in her hand as a map to freedom, that she never wanted to let go of.
Bee and Jinx walked towards the group of cheerleaders, who huddled around on the track. They were fixing the signs on the bleachers, practicing stunts, and talking to each other. "You ready for this?" Jinx whispered, Bee, let out a breath she didn't know she was holding in. "Let's do this," they continued to walk up to the cheerleaders, all of them slowly stopping what they're doing and their eyes landing on the two coming their way. The wall before them with their faces unreadable and arms crossed opened up slightly, making way for Brooke Vera. She came out as if she was ready for battle and to tear her enemies to shreds, her face decorated with two back stripes on her cheeks, brown hair in a high, straightened ponytail, with a yellow bow, and white socks pulled up neatly over her calves.
Brooke stood in front of the team with her hands on her hips, an eyebrow raised and blue eyes piercing two during holes in Jinx and Bee's heads. Though they wouldn't show it, both were shaking a bit as they waited for Brooke to say something; whether that'd be chewing them up and spitting them out or making them run laps the whole game until their feet bled. That's what is so scary about Brooke, she was so unpredictable and you never knew where you stood with her. All you knew was that you wouldn't dare cross her if you wanted to live peacefully in high school, don't make the wrong move and you'd be fine. However, if you were like Kitten Moth who was messing around with a teacher, let's just say, it's a good thing Daddy had money. "Disperse, I want to talk to these two alone," She snapped her perfectly manicured fingers and all the cheerleaders walked off in their designated areas leaving three to talk.
Bee stepped forward, taking in a gulp, "Brooke, before you—" Brooke held up a hand to silence Bee and took a calculated stare over Jinx's stance. She clicked her teeth, and let the silence linger, Bee wanted to scream for her to say something to them. She knew if she did though, it wouldn't be pretty. At all. Jinx stood with her arms folded and looked around at anything and everything, not letting her eyes land on Brooke's condescending stare. "So you're not pregnant?" Brooke finally said as she circled Jinx, looking her up and down. "No," She started looking ahead. "Hmm," Brooke hummed to herself and stopped in her tracks, staring Jinx back in the face. "Good. Pull another stunt like this again, that could hurt the team's reputation and you're off the squad.
There'll be hell to pay, are we clear?" "Crystal," Jinx said finally meeting Brooke's eyes. Bee let out a thankful sigh, Brooke cracked her head in her direction instantly causing her to straighten back up. "Jennifer, go ahead and run three laps. Then grab the cooler from the locker room, dismissed." She never took her eyes off of Bee as she said this, Jinx looked at Bee with concern. Bee nodded at her for her to go ahead, she nodded and began to run the track. "Let's step to the side, Beecher," Brooke nodded her head in the direction to one of the empty benches that were far from the other girls.
They walked in silence, Brooke motioned for Bee to take a seat as she stood in front of her with her arms folded. "You had me worried there for a sec, Karen—" "—I know Brooke, I'm so sorry—" "—Don't interrupt me. Anyway, when we saw the first Hive blast, I thought to myself 'not Karen Beecher, she'd never been that stupid'." Brooke paced for a bit, her eyes never leaving Bee's face. "Then when you left the pep rally, it only confirmed the blast. Which scared everyone on the team, seeing as you're one of the best girls we've had—" "-Really?—" "Karen," Brooke stopped with a warning tone, Bee pretended to zip her lips and clasped her hands in front of her. "You see Karen, once I graduate. We'll be needing another captain, one junior captain, and one senior. Of course, Gina is already the first choice for Senior captain.
Before I saw the blast, you were my first choice for junior captain, after it, I wasn't so sure. Three girls already involved in scandals on my team and it's barely September, how do you think that makes me look? Hmm? I look like a captain who's running a brothel. When I thought you were the one that may have been pregnant, I thought to kick you off if you were and if you weren't on probation. The reason why I didn't give Jinx the probation, is because I don't respect her as I respect you. With that pink hair and attitude, I already knew she was gonna be a handful.
Though, she's one of our best basses and who am I to judge what goes on in your personal lives," She pinched her new nose tightly, "Point is Karen, I'm happy you aren't pregnant. I'm glad that it wasn't you, to begin with. You both almost put another dent in our squad, another screw-up and we would have been investigated. I do NOT want another scandal affecting this squad or we will have a big problem, understood?" Bee nodded furiously, she contently sighed then continued, "Make sure to watch out for who you're around," Brooke looked at the running Jinx, "and who you hang out with," Bee's eyes followed Brooke's lingering stare, her chest crumbling a bit. If only she knew the truth.
"Stone makes his way to the 40, then 30, then 20, then 10, and…touchdown Tigers! Tigers win! Tigers win!" Everyone in the crowd jumped up in excitement and cheers. Bee shook her pom-poms and did a toe touch, cheering on her man "That's my man! Go, Vic! Go!" Kory clapped along with the rest, sitting down and waving at Jinx and Bee, who was getting into formation for their final cheer. "Dedicated to domination! We're the Titans football nation! Go, Titans!" The cheerleaders loaded their stunts, with Bee in the middle. They toss her into the air while the other two groups of stunts hold two girls in the place, she lands with ease and is put back into the air, shaking her pom-poms again.
"We're number 1!, We're Number 1, We're Number 1" they continued to chant, as the crowd cheered on. Kory had to admit, it was an interesting sight to see. Groups of players in padded jerseys and helmets crashing into each other over a rubber ball, while people cheered them on. Gar dancing as Tito the Tiger and cheering along with the cheerleaders, she even got a t-shirt from Jinx. Her other friends, Kole, Mas, Menos, and Rosabelle joined her in watching the game, eating snacks, and talking amongst each other. Wally made sure to blow her a kiss as she ran out of the field with the rest of the team, in which she giggled. Bee kissed Vic for good luck before rushed onto the field, he caught Kory's eye and waved as he put back on his helmet. Dick, however, paid her no mind instead flirted with many of his female fans, shielding his eyes from them which she found strange.
Wouldn't he need to see during the game? Her thoughts were interrupted as Kole, and the gang cleaned up "Where are you all headed?" She asked, "Probably home, I have a bunch of stuff to do tomorrow for the crystal shop that I work at," "Yeah, Rosabelle is driving us home. Bye Kory!" All four of them waved and went after Rosabelle who was already making her way down the bleachers. She wanted to invite them to the party tonight, but she didn't know if it was her place to do so. "Hey, Kory! See you in a sec?" Bee yelled out, Kory nodded. Jinx and Bee waved at her, heading back to the girl's locker room with their arms linked. She grabbed her small bag and began to walk down the bleachers, texting Galfor that she was ready. As she waited, she heard a couple of students talking and laughing with each other.
Dick had exited the locker room in his civilian clothing, behind her, already talking with the same flock from earlier, they threw compliments his way and he ate them up. His eyes landed on a certain redhead, standing around, probably for her ride. "Hey ladies, I'll catch up with you later," they whined. "Hey, there'll be more Dick Grayson to go around for everyone tonight, see you there?" They squealed in delight and hugged him goodbye, his eyes never left the sight he had before him. Kory. She continued to look at the time on her phone and waited for Galfore to arrive.
Dick sauntered over with his hands in his pockets and shades on. "Kory," she turned around and rolled her eyes once she saw who it was, "Are you gonna lecture me about coming to your game and how I shouldn't be here either," He gave a slight chuckle, "Nah, I figured you already got enough from me this afternoon," "That reminds me," she took out thirty dollars for him, "What's this?" "For my food, I could've paid for myself. So I'm paying you back," He pushed the money away, "I wanted to do it, to make up for being sort of a jerk to you,"
"You could have apologized like a normal person," "Yeah, but we all know I'm not normal," He shrugged and stepped closer to Kory, her heart beginning to thump loudly. "And neither are you," the heart-thumping stopped a bit, she gave him an incredulous look, he put his hands up defense "I didn't mean it like that, you're just…different," "So is many other girls, I'm no one special," He wanted to say to her that she kind of was but bit his tongue and stepped back a bit. "You waiting on someone?" "My uncle, he said he'll be here soon he had to take care of some things before closing up his shop," Dick rubbed the back of his neck.
"If you want I could take you to Bee's—" "—You don't have to do that. I'm perfectly fine with waiting on my uncle," "in the dark? At a school parking lot?" She glared at him again, "I'm not trying to mock you honest, it's just you shouldn't be here by yourself. We don't even have to talk," Kory looked around at the near-empty parking lot where it felt as if she and Dick were the only two people left. She sighed, "Fine, but I don't want any lectures from you, okay?" He nodded and lead her to where his car was. Unknown to them that someone was watching and taking a photo as they left.
"Your g-girlfriend Babs is okay with you giving a ride to another girl? Or girls for that matter?" "I don't give other girls rides, the only ones I do give rides are Bee, Jinx, and now you. We'll fool around in them sure, but rides. Not my style," He turned the next corner, "She knows you cheat on her? and you didn't fully answer my question, is Babs okay with that?" "I'm not exactly cheating on her, I'm entertaining. I don't kiss them, I flirt with them, they'll kiss on me. Do I kiss them back, no. Also, Babs doesn't tell me what to do," He said sternly, fixing the shades on his face.
Kory took notice of his tightened stance as if he was bothered by the mention of her name. "You engage with them though, so it's cheating" "Babs and I have an agreement as to what's considered cheating and what's not. I respect her enough to not do that," Kory played with her hands in her lap, is this what the world of Gotham's rich and famous comes to? Agreements between boyfriends and girlfriends on entertaining the opposite sex. Best friends taking the fall for each other, shutting themselves up which the rest of their group is mentioned. She took another glance at Dick, the sunglasses sitting tightly on his face.
"Why do you wear them?" She asked, Dick's grip tightened a bit on the steering wheel, "Wear what?" "The sunglasses," "Why do you ask a lot of questions," "I'm just curious—" "—ever heard of the saying curiosity killed the cat?" Kory shut her mouth and turned away. Dick smacked his lips and grunted "Look, I'm sorry. It's just…no one asks me these questions about my life, I like to keep certain things private," She nodded in understanding. "I know what you mean, I'm the same way on certain matters," He took this into account, and nodded his head. "How about this, you don't ask me questions about my personal life. yet. And I won't ask you about yours. yet. Until we're a bit more comfortable with each other, deal?"
"Deal," He pulled into Bee's circular driveway, Kory could see Bee and Jinx waiting by the door, her face in awe from the gorgeous house before them. A yellow and white mansion, two stores high with black arched shaped windows, and flower boxes under them. Two balconies for each floor, each having beautiful patio furniture adorned with them. A well-landscaped garden with hydrangeas, tulips, daisies, trimmed circular bushes, a large fountain in the front, and small lights decorated along the lining. There were enough acres that could put at least five smaller houses on the side and still enough space for a hummer-sized limo. Imagine what the backyard must look like, she thought as she continued to look in awe.
Dick snuck a glance at Kory's awestruck face, a small smile etching on his face. Bee and Jinx fell into a look of confusion when they saw her pull up with Dick. "Kory, you and Dick in the car together? Not killing each other," before she could answer, Dick opened his car dar "Ha-ha, her uncle had some stuff to do and I offered her a ride, isn't that right Kory?" He opened the door for her, much to Jinx and Bee's shock. He never opened the door for anyone else, even Babs. Dick was more of 'you got arms, open the door for yourself kind of guy.
"Yes, I'm grateful that Dick had offered to drive me. Thank you again," She grabbed her bag and walked over to where Bee was standing. "How come we don't get the same treatment?" Jinx folded her arms, "You don't say thank you," "I thank you," "Bye, douchebag or shitface doesn't count Jinx," "Whatever," she muttered to herself. "Thank you Dick for dropping her off, we will see you in a bit," Bee pulled Kory in by her side, he waved at them then drove off. Jinx and Bee turned towards Kory with curious looks. "You have a beautiful home Bee, tell me what do your parents—?" She caught wind of them staring at her "What?", "What's going on with you and Dick?" Jinx asked, "Nothing, he was just being nice," "Boys aren't really being nice just to be nice, they always have some sort of motive behind it," ally guys like Dick Grayson," Bee mentioned.
Kory playfully rolled her eyes, " Boys can be nice, Wally, Gar, and Vic are nice to girls," "Wally's an idiot who's got balls for brains, Gar's like a little puppy, and Vic is—" Jinx noticed the Bee's curios face, "Well, Vic is just Vic." Bee shrugged in agreement. "There are all our friends, Dick is too. Besides he has a girlfriend—" "—A girlfriend who goes to a private school miles away and can't call him on his bullshit," before Kory could retort her phone buzzed in her pocket, she held up a finger as she took it out and saw her uncle's caller i.d. "Do you mind?" Bee shook her head, and shooed her off, "Take your time, we'll be in my room getting ready. When you're done, tell Amelia, and she'll help you find my room," Kory nodded before pressed an answer and walked off to the side of the house to talk. Jinx pulled Bee to the side, "What are we gonna do about the Kory and Dick situation? She can't fall for him, it'll ruin her—" "—I know, I know. We'll talk to Dick at the party and see what's up," they both agreed then headed upstairs to get ready for the party.
Bounce, bounce, bounce, bounce
Keep it movin', bounce
Keep it movin', bounce
Keep it movin', bounce
Keep it movin', bounce
People entered Bruce Wayne's luxurious mansion to be met with drunk, high, and sweaty teenagers scattered around the place. In the middle of it all, on the living room floor were party-goers grinding against each other to the music. Hands were everywhere, whether in the air, someone's hips, or ass. In the room to the side were more party-goers having drinking contests, Wally finished downing what looked to be his 3rd beer "Chug! Chug! Chug!" People surrounded him pumping their fists. His Adam's apple bobbed up and down as he continued to down his beer bottle, the last contents sank in his mouth. "UURPP!" His burp echoed off the walls, some of the football players patted him on the back in congratulations.
Speed dial connecting me to Rae-Rae (hey)
Click in Shawntae and Mae-Mae (Hey)
Treat it as a holiday
'Cause he's a wrap
Y'all know I had to migrate
The dining room was filled with open pizza boxes, scattered beer cars, wine coolers, sodas of every kind, chips, pretzels, wings, dip, and candy, Vic munched on his 2nd plate of towering pizza. The cheese oozing off its sides, the slice decorated with beef, ham, pepperoni, and mushrooms.
'Cause my jeans, yeah, they fit
But it might benefit
Me to throw something on
To feature my hips
Accentuate my-
And steal the show
Outside, teens were jumping in the pool like there was no tomorrow. They shredded their party clothes and jumped in cannonballs of different sizes with their underwear on. Girls surrounded the hot tub with drinks in their hands, laughing, taking selfies, and bobbing their heads to the music. Football players, cheerleaders stood off by the patio near the pool, mingling as if it was their VIP section and only a select few could hang with them. A male teen tried to walk up the stairs to grab water only to be met with death glares, he scooted away in fright.
If your neck and your wrist coordinate
Hair braided or faded, okay
We can move this back to my place
It's time to migrate
Dick was currently nursing a bottle of water, and picking up any trash that was left around with a black garbage bag. He didn't need to hear protests from Alfred in the morning and Bruce's judgmental gaze. The two were currently at a charity telethon that Bruce was asked to help donate to, Alfred was accompanying him on account of babysitting Jason and helping keep the event in great condition. Jason was forced to go as a part of his punishment, Dick quietly chuckled to himself as he imagined Jason's bored facial expression and him trying to find a place to sneak away from Alfred's watchful eye.
Bruce had allowed him to have the party, although stated he would not be providing drugs or alcohol of any kind as it could damper his image and cause another uproar bigger than the last. While Dick agreed to these terms, his friend, Roy Harper didn't; seeing as brought the whole liquor store with him. He walked over to the trashcan, tying up the bag and throwing it inside. Dick took a look around, seeing many of his classmates either shirt-faced, higher than a kite, or in a food coma. It's funny how many of their parents think they're nothing like this, they do their homework, say please and thank you, and join after-school activities, so innocent.
When it came to a nonaffiliated high school event, that perfect, innocent image was shed with booze, drugs, and sex. He thought of one person who'd never do any of those things, she'd be curious; but instead of giving in to the peer pressure, she'd turn them down politely. Dick turned his head to the door where he saw the image of innocence enter in, along with Bee and Jinx. There she stood with an unusual ensemble of wedged shoes, a jean skirt to show her long, golden brown legs, and a cute white blouse that highlighted her perfect torso. Her curly bangs pulled to the back of her hair, showing off her pretty jade green eyes, revealing her dark brown eye shadow, perfectly glossed lips, and accentuated her heart shape face.
Bee wore a yellow halter top that showed off her toned midriff, dark blue shorts, golden hoop earrings, red lipgloss, gold eyes shadow, and sandals. Her hair was in an afro puff, that had small ringlets laying around her face. Jinx wore a black, long sleeve dress that met the top of her knees with fishnet stockings, black combat boots, her hair was still in pigtails, and pink eyeshadow to match. Kory stood off to the side as people from the party greeted Jinx and Bee with hugs, her arm grabbing her elbow and biting her lip in shyness. Kory looked around the huge, unknown place, her eyes falling on Dick who was staring back at her. She pulled a stray piece behind her hair and waved at him, he waved back.
They began to walk towards each other with shy smiles across their faces, not paying attention to the other people around them and letting the music fade away; they stopped, staring at each other for what felt like long moments, dopey grins, blush beginning to redden their faces. "Hey," Dick started, slightly chuckling "Hi," she replied with a giggle. "Your house is nice," "Ha! You should see it without all the sweaty, intoxicated teachers," she giggled again, Dick's face warmed up at the sound. They continued to talk, ignoring the others around them. Bee nudged Jinx, they both watched the exchange between the two, "You gonna talk to him?" "Yeah, I have to find Vic first and make sure he hasn't drunk anything. He's so annoying when he's drunk—" "—Jinxy!" Wally's voice interrupted them, Jinx rolled her eyes "Speaking of annoying," "Have fun," Bee began to walk off, much to Jinx's protest "Do not leave me with him!" She laughed lightly as she went deeper into the house, "If I were Vic, where would I—" her thoughts were interrupted when she saw Vic slurping up flailing pizza strings. "Victor Stone!" Vic stopped in the middle of what he was doing, his eyes wide as saucers when he saw Bee stomping his way.
"Shit," he muttered. "Shit is right, we're going jogging in the morning no ifs, and, or buts—" "—But—" He quickly shut his mouth when Bee let out a warning growl. "Fine," He put down the plate of pizza, and kissed her cheek. "Wanna dance?"Bee didn't listen to him as her mind was elsewhere. He followed her gaze that was directed towards Kory and Dick who were still talking, this time in the kitchen, both never breaking their smiles. "Bee, whatever you're about to do. Don't" He groaned. "I'm only looking out for her," Bee crossed her arms, he gently placed his hands on his shoulders, and began to massage them. "Kory can take care of herself, c'mon I want to get a least one dance in with my girl," She removed his hands and walked over to them in a huff, Vic groaned.
"Why couldn't this have been just a relaxing night? Why?" He followed her into the kitchen, "Hey Kory, Vic wanted to know if you'd want to dance?" "I didn't—" she elbowed him in the stomach, he let out a small grunt in pain. "I-I mean, yeah Kory. Let's see how y'all get down in Tamaran," Kory looked in Dick's direction, he nodded to her "We'll join you guys in a sec," Bee reassured them. Kory nodded and followed Vic out to the dance floor. Dick lifted an eyebrow at Bee once Kory was out of sight, "What do you want Bee?" She played with the bracelets on her wrist, "What's going on between you and Kory?" Dick looked taken back, "What are you talking about?" "C'mon Dick, don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about. First, you hate Kory, now it's suddenly flirtatious banter, longing stares, opening the door for her—" "I'm just being a good friend—"
"—friends don't look at each other like that," "You guys were the ones who told me to drop the attitude and I did," Bee observed him, her eyes squinting up a bit. "Something tells me you never really hated Kory, could it be, something else you were hiding?—" "—in case you or anyone else forgot, I have a girlfriend." "You never let that stop you before," Before Dick could respond, he looked past Bee and his eyes widened. "Excuse me, Bee," he pushed past her, Bee turned around and saw, none other than Barbara Gordon, still looking as beautiful as ever.
Dick met Babs with a fake smile plastered on his face, she pulled him in for a hug, "What the hell are you doing here," he gritted through his teeth. The partygoers opened up a bit to see Gothams it couple in action. "Can we talk, please?" She whispered closely into his ear, an action going unnoticed by everyone, including Kory. "Fine, come with me," He laid a small kiss on her cheek before grabbing her hand and leading her upstairs, eyes still on them.
"Out!" Dick yelled at a random couple currently making out on the bed, and clothes in disarray. The teens got off of each other, apologizing and heading out the door while still clutching each other. He closed the door to one of the guest bedrooms as Babs took a seat on the foot of the bed. "How did you find out?" "It's funny how your girlfriend wasn't invited to the big football game, or the party afterward—" "—Not my actual girlfriend, we're under contract remember?" She sighed, dragging a hand over her face. "I know that Dick, but don't you think it'll be a little suspicious that your girlfriend doesn't show up to any of your events or parties? It'll make me look like a snob, which isn't good for my rep, yours, or our dads,"
"I tell people that you're just a busy as me. Touring colleges, soccer practice, student council—" "—That's not fair, I know that your parading girls around behind my back," "You have no proof," "Really?" She pulled out her phone and showed a pic of Kory getting into the car with Dick. He grabbed it, "Where the hell did you get this?" "So it's true?" "I was offering her a ride, she's friends with Bee and Jinx, no big—" "Doesn't seem like she's just their friend," Dick sighed, "Who invited you, Babs?"
"Wally did, he called me earlier saying how much you missed me and all that jazz," He rolled his eyes, "I'm gonna kill him," "Look, we agreed that we'd keep up this facade for our parents' sake, publicity, of us dating until after I graduate, you need to keep your end of the bargain up," She pointed a finger at him. "Babs you can't—" "—We did it your way, now we're doing it mine. Got it? " He answered with another sigh and eye roll. Babs pushed him to the side and walked out of the room leaving Dick fuming with anger.
Kory sat with Vic, Bee, Jinx, and a sleeping Wally, outside by a small bonfire, drinking a can of fruit punch. She continued to look around with a worried expression for Dick, much to Bee and Jinx's dismay. "Kory, he's fine. Babs is with him, have some fun at your first high school party," Jinx explained, pushing the sleeping Wally off her shoulder again. "I agree, these years go by fast and we can't spend our time worrying for most of it," Vic interjected. She nodded hesitantly as she took another sip of her fruit punch. Dick came from the inside of the house and stomped towards the group, a look of anger written on his face.
Kory began to get up in concern, "Dick, is everything all right?—" "—Fine," he snapped back, Kory sighed feeling as though they went straight back to square one. Babs walked in behind him, her face in annoyance, clearly something happened prior, "Hey you guys," She waved, they waved back except Wally who was mumbling to himself. She turned and took notice of an uncomfortable Kory who didn't meet her gaze and instead paid attention to the can in her hand. "Hi, I don't believe we met. I'm Dick's girlfriend Babs," she emphasized girlfriend, she knew who Kory was from the color of her, it matched the same girl from the photo that was sent from The Hive.
Kory pulled a loose strand behind her hair, taking notice of Dick and everyone else's eyes on her. "Hi, I'm Kory," "Right, Jinx and Bee's friend right?" Kory raised an eyebrow before nodding slowly. They sat in awkward silence, Babs laying her head on Dick's shoulder, her blue eyes staring daggers in Kory's direction, Dick keeping the same angered expression, Vic and Karen huddled together in the corner, whispering to each other, and Jinx nudged off Wally's drooling form. "I'm gonna head to the restroom," Kory said, she got up in a rush and headed away from the group, Dick perked his head in her direction causing Babs to fall off his shoulder "Kory—" "She can find the restroom herself Dick," He was getting ready to get up and follow her when the buzzing of everyone's phones interrupted them.
"Oh no," He whispered, taking his out the quickest. Everyone let out gasps as to what they saw plastered on their screens.
The Hive: "I told you I wasn't done for the day, I was going to send out a photo of our favorite Boy Wonder spending some close time with a certain redhead that wasn't his girlfriend. Or should I say, fake girlfriend? Thanks to an anonymous source, I found something much juicer. Here we have a video of Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon discussing their publicity stunt of a relationship:
'Look, we agreed that we'd keep up this facade for our parents' sake, publicity, of us dating until after I graduate, you need to keep your end of the bargain up,' Babs's voice echoed around on several people's phones.
"That's right, looks like our it couple has fooled us all. It's a shame really, though I'm not surprised. It always seemed like one half of the pair was more committed than the other. And I'm not talking about our Boy Wonder. Looks like the cat's out of the bag, wonder who'll get their eyes scratched out first? Looks like my work here is done, ciao for now."
All eyes were on Dick and Babs, who sat with blank stares on their faces, unsure of what to do next.
Alright, another cliffhanger, to a super long chapter. Well, not really. I really appreciate you guys reading this story, and I know it's updating slow. Finals week, work, all that stuff. I'd love to hear from you guys as to what you think of the story so far, what you like. I'll update soon! Thx, comicgeek16.