Raven turned at the sound of her old name.
"Mom," she said, standing up.
The older woman barrelled into her and wrapped her in a hug. "I miss you so much, Rae."
"I miss you, too, Mom."
"Oh, you look so happy. Are you happy?"
"You're here," Raven told her. "Of course I'm happy."
Angela smiled and took her hands. "Come on, let's go get something to eat. How's school?"
Raven told her all about her recent sewing projects, the math class she hated, and how she was running every day with Garfield. She left out the details about the donut shop and how she still couldn't go inside, even though Isaiah had personally come outside to apologize. She'd only nodded and waited for Garfield to come out with pastries.
"They have great donuts, Mom," she said. "There's this chocolate cake with a hazelnut glaze and she fills it with a cherry jelly. It's amazing."
"It sounds like they're taking good care of you," said Angela.
"They're trying. I'm not exactly making it easy on them."
"You were never difficult, Rachel."
"What do you mean? Father-."
"Made it harder than it had to be," Angela said. "As long as I gave you room to be yourself, you were never a bad kid. You always liked the quiet."
"It was hard to find," muttered Raven. "Six little boys are hard to keep quiet."
Angela smiled. "How about pancakes?"
"I love pancakes."
Raven followed her mother into the franchise and let a waitress lead them to a booth. They ordered drinks and scanned the menus.
"So, you're still sewing?" Angela asked.
""Yeah, it keeps me calm. I can't work angry and gotta stay focused."
"Makes sense. You know, it's so quiet at home now, sometimes I think I hear your old machine humming. Or a toy hitting the wall. I wish I had you and the boys around. Just to break the silence."
"Have you filed papers yet?" asked Raven.
"I can't. He's still asleep. Doesn't he deserve to know-?"
"He deserves to die, Mom."
"Don't say that. He's your father."
"Fathers don't- hurt their kids."
"You're right, you're right." Angela sighed and took Raven's hands again. "I'm sorry, Rae. It's hard. It's hard to spend sixteen years in a tank just to be thrown into the ocean again."
"I know. I was with you, remember?"
"Of course, and I'm happy you're free. I just wish it was under better conditions."
"Yeah. Me, too."
Angela sighed again and opened her purse. "I got you something."
"What? Why?"
"Well, the holidays are coming up, and… I know you'll use it."
She placed a book on the table and pushed it to Raven, who ran her fingers over the old leather in reverence.
"The family recipe book?" she whispered.
"I copied down the ones I'll need. But the book is all yours now."
"Mom, I- You said I'd get it when-."
"I know, I know. Things didn't turn out the way I planned," Angela said. "But you always loved these recipes. Take it."
Raven shook her head. "I can't. It feels too… real."
"We'll make it a deal, okay? When you come back home, we'll share the book," said Angela. "Does that work?
"Are you sure?"
"Of course. I need to focus on myself, right?"
Raven nodded solemnly and pulled the book towards her. "Thanks, Mom."
"Anything for you, Rae."
Garfield, predictably, turned up his nose.
"You got another book?" he asked.
"This is my family recipe book, you dick," Raven growled, hugging the book to her chest.
"Oh. Looks like crap."
"No thumbprint cookies for you, then."
Garfield's face resembled someone who'd been shot. Beside him, a skinny blonde giggled.
"You gotta be nicer to people, Gar," she said.
"Terra, I presume?"
"Yeah, you must be the roommate. Raven?"
Terra extended a hand, but Raven just stared at it until she lowered it again.
"Garfield and I have an understanding," Raven told her. "Don't mess with it."
"Gotcha," whispered Terra.
"Be nice, Rae," Victor warned.
"I'm not trying to be rude. I just want my space respected."
Terra glanced nervously at Garfield again. Then she nodded.
"Understood."
"Hey, how was your date with your mom?" Robin asked.
"Awkward," Raven said flatly.
"Were you wanting to talk of it?" Kori asked.
"No."
Kori nodded. Garfield wrapped his arms around Terra.
"Yeah, this is Terra, though," he said. "She does sports!"
"Cool. Garfield and I-"
"Jog, right? He mentioned it," Terra chuckled. "And he let me feel his abs."
Raven laughed, too. "Surprisingly sculpted, right?"
Robin pouted. "I have abs, too."
Raven's gaze shifted to him, unamused. "We've discussed this."
Robin raised his hands. "Hey, I was just talking about muscles. I swear, moves were not intended."
"Good," said Raven walking away.
"I see what you mean," she heard Terra say. "Box of rainbows."
Raven clenched her jaw, but pretended she didn't hear it. She didn't owe Terra her story. She didn't owe Isaiah forgiveness. Didn't owe Robin a date. Didn't-.
She jumped when an arm looped into hers. Kori pulled her away from the others.
"We will soon be back," they assured the others. "I wish for Raven to accompany me to the bathroom."
Robin nodded. Kori rushed their friend away from the group.
"Do you really need me to go?" Raven asked, unamused.
"You need the space," Kori replied. "I have studied the long-term sorrows, and-."
"I'm fine."
"You are not. And that is okay. Remember?"
Raven rolled her eyes. "Seriously, I'm fine."
"I do not believe you."
Raven stared at them. Anger, shock, and shame bubbled in her stomach. She lurched. Kori tightened their grip and hurried into the bathroom. Raven could feel them hold her hair as she leaned over a toilet and vomited. Oh, hell no.
"It is okay," Kori said, stroking her hair when she finally stopped. "I am here."
"It's not okay!" Raven cried. "Nothing about this is okay, Kori. I- I can't do this."
Kori leaned against her back, hugging her. "I am here, Raven. Tell me, what do you need?"
"I need… I need to know it worked," Raven said, texting Victor. "I swear, if that… that bastard…"
"Shhh, shhh. You are just ill, Raven. But if you are afraid-."
"I'm not afraid. I'm pissed off," growled Raven. "I just want a normal life as a normal person with normal issues, like a bad hair day. Or bad grades."
Kori hummed again, the way they did whenever their next words were either going to be confused or deep.
"I don't think," they said slowly, "that there is a 'normal issues.' It is personal."
"Most people-."
"Most people have not lost their parents," said Kori. "Most people are neurotypical. Most people are interested in dating. You are not most people, Raven. Whatever happens, you have us."
Kori flushed the toilet and pulled Raven close. She started sobbing. She felt so dumb and alone. She knew she wasn't, but the feeling was there. Even in a coma, Troy managed to mess with her head. That asshole.
"Get him off of me," she hiccuped. "Get him off me."
"He's gone, Rae."
"No, no, he's in my head. Under my skin. Please… Kori, get him off me."
Kori grabbed her wrists to keep her from scratching. She hadn't even noticed until then that she'd been trying to peel her skin off.
"Rae," Kori said calmly, "I will call Miss Logan, yes? You need to talk to someone about this."
"I don't want to. I want it to go away."
"Talking can help. Raven, you are burying things. It will only hurt more."
Raven sighed and stared at her legs.
"Okay," she said softly. "Okay. Call her."
Kori nodded and stood up. At the same time, the bathroom door opened, and Terra entered with a paper bag. She held it up.
"Vic said you needed… tampons?" she questioned.
Raven grabbed the bag and locked herself in the stall. She checked the contents and texted Vic thanks for the cover story.
"Do you, uh, do you need anything else?" Terra asked.
"No, I'm fine."
"I am taking Raven to the chocolate store to wait for Miss Logan," Kori told her. "She will recover. Thank you, Terra."
One minute. Okay.
"I'm just glad she's in a bad mood," Terra said quietly. "I thought I'd upset her."
"Raven is… sensitive. She tries not to show, but she takes your word to heart."
"I was on her side, though,"
"That does not matter. Garfield and Raven have a comfortable space. You interfered. You did not know."
Terra's voice dropped to a whisper that Raven couldn't make out. Just a little longer…
"Raven is our friend. She has good days and bad days. Today is a bad day," Kori said calmly. "I apologize for that."
"No, no need to apologize! I just-."
"Stop. Thank you for your help, but you should go."
"Y-yeah," Terra said before raising her voice again. "Feel better, Rae."
Get bent, Terra. "I will. Thanks."
She heard the door shut, and Kori said she was gone.
"I don't like her," Raven admitted.
"She is… odd."
"She's rude."
"So is Garfield."
"Not the same. Garfield is rude in a dumb, innocent way. Terra's rude in an I-don't-care way."
"And you are rude in the 'care too much' way."
Raven let out a sigh she'd been holding back.
"Can't argue with that," she said.