At the Mall

The mall was never one of Raven's favorite places. Starfire on the other hand loved it. She would go into almost every store and would try to buy anything that looked slightly interesting. Raven had to remind Starfire that she did have a spending limit, and she would go put stuff back. Raven often thought of herself as a babysitter when she was here. She had to constantly watch her friend, or the tower would be filled with junk that no one really wanted. Raven was trying to talk Starfire out of buying a stupid looking teakettle, when her communicator went off.

She answered it and felt relived, until she saw who was on the other line.

"Hey Raven," a green boy said. "Um..." Beastboy paused. "Well Robin was cooking... and he sort of blew up the kitchen-"

"I DID NOT!" Raven heard the boy wonder scream. "YOU DID YOU LITTLE TWERP! YOU WERE THE ONE MAKING TOFU! I WASN'T EVEN IN THE KITCHEN!" BB turned into a fly so that Robin couldn't hit him as he through a plate at him.

"This is what happens when you make that nasty tofu BB!" Cyborg said ginning

"Can someone please get to the point," Raven said irritably. Starfire, who was looking over her shoulder giggled and made Raven even more angry.

"Well could you and Star pick up some food, lunch is canceled here."

"Sure," she said and she closed the communicator before anyone had the chance to say anything else. "Ready to go home?" she asked Starfire. Starfire's head drooped, she was having fun and didn't want to leave yet.

"The boys are going to get hungry, you wouldn't want them mad at you," Raven coaxed.

"No," Starfire said, her spirits falling. "Can we visit just one more shop first?"

Raven thought about it for a moment, if she agreed to take Starfire to another shop, she could stay away from the tower longer, but that would also mean that she would have to go to another shop with Starfire.

"OK, but just one more," Raven said after a moment.

"Glorious," Starfire said excitedly. "Come friend Raven!" Starfire dragged Raven across the mall into a hair salon. Raven felt her stomach clench. She hated hair salons more than any other store in the mall.

"We can only stay for a few minutes," Raven said irritably. "The boys are hungry and we have to bring them some food." Starfire wasn't listening. She sat down at the nearest chair and began thumbing through a magazine.

Raven felt strangely out of place. Suddenly a group of girls entered the salon and Raven was pushed into the chair next to Starfire. Before Raven knew what was happening, a strange woman was messing with her hair. Raven tried to explain that she didn't want her hair done, but it was no use, the woman was styling her hair and there was nothing Raven could do about.

The woman started shampooing Raven's hair, and she was tempted to use her powers to make the hair dryer hit her in the head, but she refried. Starfire happily babbled away and was in complete relaxation. Raven wasn't listing until something Starfire said made her snap to attention.

"Why did Beastboy blow up our kitchen?" Starfire asked innocently. "We can not eat if we have no where to eat in."

"He didn't mean to Starfire," Raven tried to explain. "He was trying to cook something, and blew up the kitchen."

"Oh," Starfire said. She wanted to say something else but wasn't sure if she was supposed to. She decided that she had better ask, she felt that she needed to know. "Raven, what is a 'crush?' It seems a rude thing to say that someone has a crush on someone."

Raven felt it strange that the conversation had went from Beastboy to crushes, she was going to tell Starfire to ask Robin, he always gave her English lessons before, but now she was curious. "It doesn't mean that you want to hurt anyone. It means that you like them."

Starfire looked confused, "You are my friend and I like you, does that mean that I have the crush on you?"

Raven was becoming uncomfortable with the conversation, but now she had to set Starfire strait, she didn't want Starfire going around thinking she had a crush on her. "No, it's when you like someone, more than a friend. Like the way you like Robin."

Starfire blushed immensely. "I don not know what you are talking about," she said not making eye contact.

"I didn't mean to embarrass you," Raven said not wanting Starfire to drop the topic just yet. "I was just trying to give you an example. Why the sudden curiosity? Don't you usually have Robin give you English lessons?"

"Well," Starfire said still not making eye contact. "I am not sure if I am supposed to tell you. It is called a... secret I think."

"What do you mean, 'I think' you know what secret means."

"Yes, but I am not sure if our talk was a secret"

"Who?"

"Beastboy"

"What were you guys talking about?"

"Why do you care Raven?"

"Don't change the subject! What were you guys talking about?"

"Beastboy said he had a crush on you!" Starfire blurted out. She gasped and covered her mouth, not daring to think of the disaster she had just created.

"Come on," Raven said smiling slightly. "We said we'd pick the boys up lunch."