A.N. – Thank you guys so much for reviewing! It brightens up my day. -
gladdecease – Yeah, they offer Japanese at my school, as well, but I opted to stick with Latin. Ah, well. About the names, though… I got Roy and Garth from reading similar A/U fics, and I have no idea if they are the comic book character's real names. Frankly, the only comics I have ever read were "Archies" when I was younger. If you don't count manga.
writerofmoredoom – Thanks for the disclaimer catch! I completely forgot. -.-' And, I don't really know who was murdered. I made the murder really impersonal (and really sudden), so I figure its best if she doesn't have an identity.
Rose – Um… Actually, I don't know why Dick was talking to Kitten. Question about the homework in class, perhaps? -
They-Call-Me-Orange – I tried to put in some more BBRae in this chapter… Hope you enjoy it! -
Neko Starfire – Er… Actually, neither. I might put in girl talk later, though! In any case, thanks bunches for your review.
PinkFlamingo44 – Lol! I know exactly what you mean… Or else I wouldn't have it in the story! -
StarRob – Thanks! I plan to keep writing about this length – it's been working pretty well for me. Well, so far, at least. -
And, now! The long- awaited (but admittably not very impressive) disclaimer!
Disclaimer: I don't claim ownership to anything written in this story, except for, perhaps, the title.
Er… I'm not very good with disclaimers… Does that work?
Chapter Six
Revenge Tastes Sweet
Kori walked down the hall the next day, flanked by Terra and Bee, to catcalls and admiring stares. Self-conscious, she smoothed down her mini-skirt and straightened the tight, revealing shirt. Terra had helped her put on make-up that morning, and the unfamiliar substance felt caked on and uncomfortable.
The trio passed by Dick, Vic, Gar, and Roy without a glance. Dick blatantly stared with his jaw dropped open. Grinning, Vic leaned over and pushed his chin up with a finger. "Snap out of it, lover boy."
Ignoring Vic's comment, or perhaps not hearing it, Dick mumbled to himself, "Why is she dressed like that?"
"She's probably trying to impress Garth," Roy replied quickly. He and Vic burst out laughing.
Dick frowned.
-
"Today, class, we're going to make sculptures," the art teacher announced. Heavy make-up adorned her face, and ribbons were tied throughout her frizzy hair.
Gar, his hands already deep in clay, leaned over to Bee. "Do you know what's up with Kori?"
"What do you mean?" Bee replied coolly.
"You know what I mean." Bee raised an eyebrow. "Well, she's wearing store-bought clothes!" he exclaimed in disbelief.
"Strange, I know," Bee responded, returning to sculpting the flexible substance. "I think Dick hurt her somehow… She wasn't quite clear."
"Dick? Hurt Kori?" Gar leaned back, shaking his head in incredulity.
Bee nodded. "And now she's not talking to him."
Raven looked up from the beginnings of a bird sculpture. "So… Kori's wearing store-bought clothes, Dick hurt her, and now she's not speaking with him?"
"Beyond weird."
-
Kori walked out of the school, downcast. She'd ignored Dick all through lunch, and she felt empty without his presence beside her.
"Hey, Kori! Wait up!" Dick's familiar voice called out behind her.
Kori, resisting the urge to turn around, pushed back her shoulders and kept walking.
Dick raced up to her and grabbed her arm. "Wait, please. I have to talk to you."
Kori reluctantly turned around, feeling her heart break as he smiled anxiously at her. She had to remind herself that Dick cared about appearances and enjoyed talking to Kitten. In her cloud of hurt, she forgot about all the times he had stuck by her, protecting her from taunts and shielding her from any kind of pain.
"I just… wanted to apologize. For whatever I did." He smiled again, nervous. "And I just wanted to say… Not that you don't look good now and all, because, of course, you always look good, and…" Sensing that he was rambling, he took a deep, calming breath and said, "I thought that you looked great before, too."
Kori gave a watery smile, tears pricking at the corners of her eyes, and hugged him. That was just what she needed to hear.
Dick exhaled sharply at her tight grip, but slowly relaxed and smiled.
-
After the next day of school, the group rejoined at their usual picnic table. Dick and Kori were walking around together, quietly talking, while Kori's long, feathery skirt flowed gently in the breeze.
Terra watched them, swinging her legs as she perched atop the table. "So… Kori's wearing her own clothes again, and she and Dick are back to being close."
"Everything's back to normal," Gar said with a smile.
"It's a shame about those clothes, though…" Terra continued. "Do you think they'd fit me?"
Laughing, Vic hit her upside the head. "We should celebrate!" he announced, always one for a party.
The faint, melodic sound of a distant ice cream truck drifted on the breeze. "We should go out for ice cream!" Gar exclaimed, suddenly inspired.
Kori, overhearing him, rushed over and clapped her hands. "Yes, dear friends! I much enjoy the cream of ice!" Dick smiled indulgently at her.
The rest conceded, and they all squeezed into Vic's car.
-
Dick slowly raised his spoon, laden with ice cream, and slid it into his mouth. He swallowed, and a blissful smile spread on his face. He was content to simply eat his ice cream and be with his friends – two of his greatest pleasures.
A squealing from the other side of the room broke through the peaceful atmosphere. Disgruntled, Dick looked up from his ice cream and saw Kitten and her friends sitting down at a distant booth. He frowned. Kori had told him all about them terrorizing her, greatly heightening his dislike. Squealing girls had always bothered him.
Suddenly, his frown flipped into a devious grin. Slowly and deliberately, he loaded his spoon with ice cream, bent it back with a single finger and aimed.
The sweet tasting projectile flew through the air and landed in Kitten's hair. Vic snorted into his hand as she slowly reached behind her and fingered the cold, wet substance with manicured hands. When she screamed, Vic started laughing loudly, almost bordering hysteria.
Furious, she whirled around to meet the source of the noise. Vic was rolling around on the floor, and a proud Dick high-fived Roy. "Why, you…" she muttered under her breath, her eyes darkening menacingly. She reached behind her, grabbed her friend's cone, and threw it at Dick.
Dick dodged it and the cone flew straight into Roy's unsuspecting face. He reached up a finger, swiped off a bit of ice cream, and slid it into his mouth. "Mmm… Strawberry," he commented, before throwing his cone at the opposing group.
Vic, immensely entertained, stood up on the table and yelled, "ICE CREAM FIGHT!" The manager sensibly slid into the back room as all hell broke loose. Terra slid over the counter and grabbed an armful of ice cream scoops, arming her team, while one of Kitten's friends did similarly.
Vic carried over a few huge buckets of ice cream to his friends, providing ample ammunition, before he launched himself into the fray.
Kori and Bee positioned themselves on the table by the Chocolate Chip ice cream and kept up a steady onslaught of flying scoops. Roy and Dick attempted more daring shots, flying across the aisle and crawling under tables.
Raven slowly retreated back to a corner, avoiding the fight all together. She had no desire to enter the juvenile war, as she was one to think of the future consequences instead of the present.
Suddenly, Gar popped up in front of her. "I'll protect you, Rae!" he proclaimed with mock-bravery, striking a ridiculous pose. He turned around, and, simultaneously, a scoop of vanilla and one of chocolate struck him in the face. He looked back at Raven, the opposing colors comically dripping down his face.
Raven, not sure what came over her, leaned down to the nearby strawberry bucket. She grabbed some of the melting, cold substance and patted it on to the middle of his face. She stepped back, admiring her handiwork. "There. Neapolitan."
Gar wiped the ice cream off, shocked, before he said, "Oh, I'm soo gonna get you for that, Rae!" He grabbed a handful of the strawberry and advanced toward her.
However, he slipped on a puddle of chocolate and fell forward. Raven, instinctively, attempted to catch him and fell underneath him.
Both were silent, their faces mere inches away. Gar, the ice cream in his hand forgotten, slowly leaned down and…
A low-flying scoop of ice cream hit them both in the face.
Gar rolled off her, blushing under his tanned face. "Er…" he attempted, before whirling around and rejoining the war zone.
Dumbfounded, Raven stood up and brushed herself off.
-
After the war was concluded, the ice cream parlor was left a mess. The walls were covered with multicolored splatters, and the floor was one, large puddle. Someone had found the blender, and blended mixtures slowly dripped down from the ceiling.
The manager, furious at the damage done to his shop, had demanded that they clean up the mess. Kitten and her friends set to work on one side, whining and griping ferociously, while the others worked on the opposite side.
Vic and Bee were set to work on the wall. Silence reigned as both concentrated on the work before them. After a time, Vic began quickly glancing at Bee and looking away.
Bee, irritated, dropped her sponge and placed her hands on hands. "What is it?"
The faintest hint of a flush emerged on Vic's cheeks. "You look… good," he said. "I mean, even with the ice cream and everything."
Bee, taken aback, blushed as well. Smiling, she picked up her sponged and replied, "You too."
Both turned back to wall and began scouring it again. Finally, Vic asked, "So… What do you think of our soccer team this year?"
"They're horrible."
"Yeah, they are, aren't they?"
Shocked that they agreed on something, both stopped working and looked at each other. Quickly, they returned to the wall. An awkward silence reigned.
Finally, Bee resorted to a familiar comment, "You do know that basketball is better than football, right?"
"No way! Football is so much better!"
They smiled at each other before launching into the argument. Though having things in common was cool, both decided, it was much more fun to argue.
-
A ways away, a figure worked in a dark room by the illumination of a single lamp. A mask covered all but his eyes, and those eyes were bright and wide with pleasure. Gloved hands carefully finished the letter, taking care to mask the handwriting. They slowly folded the letter, placed it inside an envelope, and sealed it.
The figure held up the envelope with pleasure. Slowly, he began to cackle, before he broke into a full-fledged evil laugh.